Bottled Stars and Black Holes
by BritM18
Summary: Three years ago Edward Masen was involved in an accident that rendered him incapable of remembering who he is. When a figure from his past recognizes him will he return to his family or will he be pulled further into the black hole he life has become?
1. Lines of Dust and Sweat

**Lyrical Melodrama Story Contest**

**Name of story: **Bottled Stars and Black Holes**  
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**Pen name: **BritM

**Song story is inspired by: **"27"**  
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**Artist: **Fall Out Boy**  
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**Category: **Newbie

**Main Pairing: **Edward & Bella

**POV: **3rd person

This story is an entry for the Lyrical Melodrama Story contest. To read the rest of the entries or see the submission rules go to **www(dot)thewriterscoffeeshop(dot)com** Any questions concerning the contest can be directed to c**ompetitions(at)thewriterscoffeeshop(dot)com** or through the website.

**DISCLAIMER:** Anything you recognize belongs to its respective owner(s). Anything original is mine :)

**A/N:** This story is rated M for language, sexual references and drug usage. If any of this offends you, you've been forewarned.

**Big thanks to my amazing beta Megsly!**

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**Chapter 1: Lines of Dust & Sweat**

Edward Masen felt like an earthquake was splitting his brain in two, and paired with the shrill voice that was cutting through his dreams, he was about ready to just put the proverbial gun to his head and pull the trigger.

"Edward. Edward." The annoying voice kept calling his name.

He wasn't entirely sure if this was actually happening or was a part of his dream, but the had voice stopped, and the splitting feeling was temporarily lifted from his brain. Edward went to roll over on his stomach, but was held down by something laying on top of him. Pulling up the corner of the pillow that was across his face, he braved the bright sun flares that he knew would be blazing through the windows of his room. He had to know what, or who, was on top of him. Opening one eye, he took a moment to adjust to the light before looking around. He found a familiar pair of yellow eyes looking back at him - a ring of red at their center.

"Well good morning sleepy head. It's about time you got up!"

The pillow was pulled off of his face and he felt the headache come back tenfold as his previously covered eye adjusted to the exceptionally bright mid-day sun.

"Jane. Why do insist on opening the curtains before you wake me up?" Edward said, throwing his arm across his eyes in a vain attempt to try and get the pain to go away again. "You know it gives me a headache every day."

The weight was lifted off Edward's chest momentarily, and he took that brief moment to roll over and stuff his head under another pillow.

"Well, maybe if you didn't drink yourself stupid every night you wouldn't be such a jackass in the mornings." Jane said, with a bite to her voice.

"Fuck off Jane."

"Nope. No can do. Aro said you need to get up. We have sound check in three hours and you have to be there. You've somehow managed to miss the last two rehearsals and, with the show being tonight, you can't afford to miss this."

As Edward dragged himself out of the bed and towards the bathroom, he heard her mutter under her breath, "If any of the rest of us had done that, we'd be out. But not Edward."

Stopping in the doorway to the bathroom, Edward turned back to her. "Hostile much? And what crawled up your ass and died? You're in prime mood today." The truth was, Jane was always like this - playful and joking one minute, cold and vile the next. Edward should have expected it, they told him she was like this before. If only he could remember before...

"Jane. I don't know why you're in here. In MY room. In THAT," he said, shooting a pointed look at the lingerie Jane was prancing about it, "but when I get out, I want you gone." With that he slammed the door.

Jane sauntered around for a bit before putting on her clothes that had been discarded around the room late last night. She knew better than to piss Edward off, because that would just lead to her father getting pissed off and she didn't want to deal with that. As she pulled on her jeans, she heard a faint crinkling sound coming from her back pocket. Reaching in, she pulled out a bag of white powder. She never touched the stuff herself, but had no problem with other people using. Figuring Edward could use a little something to calm his nerves, she laid it out on the table and jotted a quick note to Edward before picking up her purse and leaving.

_Sorry about the curtains. Nothing happened last night. I slept on the couch. This should take the edge off your foul mood. Limo will be waiting downstairs at 4. You BETTER be there!!!!_

_Jane_

From the bathroom, Edward heard the door shut. Realizing it was safe to go back out, he finished brushing his teeth and opened the door. He saw the trash littering the floor before he saw the piece of paper laying on the table, the bag laying beside it caught his eye as well. He picked up the note, not bothering to read it, and tossed it to the floor with the rest of the trash. Picking up the bag, he sat back on the couch contemplating whether or not he really needed it. He knew the stuff was trouble, he'd seen the effect it could have on a person first hand - as pretty much everyone else in the band partook courtesy of Jane. He secretly wondered if Aro knew his darling Jane was dealing.

Making a snap decision, he laid the powder out on the table in to two neat rows. Rolling up dollar bill he found on the floor he inhaled. Leaning back on the couch once more, he felt himself calm down significantly as the substance made its way through his blood stream. Looking at the clock that sat on the beside table, he saw he still had three hours until he had to be ready. Laying down, he closed his eyes, hoping _she_ would visit him in his dreams again.

**~* 2 Years Earlier*~**

As Edward Cullen drove down the long driveway leading to his house, he thought back on today. It had been the perfect ending to his high school career.

He graduated that morning with his four best friends and the girl of his dreams. Afterward, they opted out of the graduation party where all of their classmates were undoubtedly still getting shit-wrecked and hooking up. Instead, they gathered back at Bella's house where they made dinner together and watched old home movies of themselves from the past eighteen years.

As he approached the house, he find it odd that all the lights were still on. His sister, Alice, was staying with Bella, his girlfriend. As soon as he walked in the door that connected the garage to the main house, he saw his parents sitting at the dining room table, waiting.

His father Carlisle sat tall at the head of the table. He seemed somehow older than he had hours earlier when Edward saw him after graduation. There were distinct crease marks between his eyebrows; the kind that come with frustrated squinting. Esme, the epitome of the perfect mother with her creamy skin and caramel hair, motioned him forward with a sad smile. A smile that said, "You've done something to disappoint me, but I still love you."

As Edward approached the table, he noticed a stack of papers scattered across the polished mahogany. His father motioned towards the papers with a flick of his wrist, still not saying a word.

Edward sat down in a chair across from his mother, who quickly moved to sit by his side. As he began to pick up the papers, he felt her hand lay gently on his shoulder.

He began flipping through the papers, which turned out to be letters from all the schools Edward told his parents he had applied to.

_Dear Dr. and Mrs. Cullen,_

_It is with deep regret that I inform you that Princeton University never received an application for admission from your son Edward Anthony Cullen._

_As we are sure this is just a misunderstanding, we will allow Edward two weeks to resubmit his application and will expedite the acceptance procedure._

_Regards,_

_Dean of Admissions_

_Princeton University_

Edward felt a gentle squeeze from on his shoulder from his mother's hand. Composing himself, he turned to face her.

"Mom, as the dean said, there must have been a misunderstanding. I did apply…"

"Edward," his father cut in briskly, "we know you didn't apply to Princeton. Or Harvard, or University of Washington, or any of the other schools you said you did. They are all here, letters from every dean of admissions of every school you said you applied for." Carlisle's voice raised with every word he spoke until he was standing up, palms flat on the table, leaning over towards Edward. "Would you care to tell me why you LIED TO US?!"

Esme moved the hand that wasn't on Edward's shoulder across the table and laid it across Carlisle's hand, which was now curled into an angry fist. "Carlisle, we discussed this. Let Edward explain himself, I'm sure there is a very practical reason why he didn't apply." As she finished her statement, she turned expectantly towards Edward. She nodded her head once, giving Edward permission to speak.

Taking a deep breath, Edward steeled his eyes and looked up at his father. He knew that his mother would go with whatever would make him happy, but Carlisle was a different story. Carlisle only wanted the best for Edward, but was firm in his belief that Edward have a degree to fall back on lest a musical career not turn out to be as fruitful as Edward hoped it would.

Edward told his parents how he hadn't applied to the schools he said he had, or to any school at all. What Edward had decided months ago was that he didn't want to be bothered wasting four years on a music degree when he could just jump right in to the music industry. He had already sent demo tapes to several record label execs and was eagerly waiting a reply.

This was not the reply his parents wanted to hear. His mother withdrew her hand from his shoulder, shaking her head, "Oh, Edward. What have you done? Why couldn't you just come talk to us about this?"

"What is there to talk about mom? I made my decision months ago. I knew if I told you this is exactly how you both would react. Why would I put myself through that. It was easier to just let you believe what you wanted. You've both set these standards for me that I quite honestly don't know I can live up to. If anything, this is your fault for pushing me too hard." As soon as the words left his mouth, he regretted them. If anything, his parents had been understanding and supportive of his musical talents.

His mother chocked back a sob as his father stood up so fast that his chair went crashing to the floor behind him. "Don't you dare speak to your mother or me like that. We have always had only your best interests at heart. When you said you wanted to pursue a musical career, we supported you. All we asked was that you had something to fall back on just in case. For the past few months, your mother has been a nervous wreck waiting to hear back from universities about whether or not you got accepted."

Edward knew his father was right, but his pride got in the way and Edward made a split second decision. Pushing away from the table, he stalked up the stairs towards his bedroom. Slamming the door behind him, he grabbed a duffel bag and shoved as many shirts and boxers in it as he could. He threw in his toothbrush and some other toiletries. He then went into his closet where he kept a small safe with his life's savings. Pulling out several large wads of cash, he put them in the bag as well and zipped it up.

He threw his door open and was not surprised to see his father there. "Edward, this conversation is not over." Carlisle looked down and saw the bag "Where do you think you're going?"

Edward ran down the stairs before his father could catch up to him. Esme stood at the bottom of the stairs, her shoulders shaking with sobs. She looked up at Edward through tear-stained eyes. "Edward, please…" she begged him.

He placed a quick kiss on her forehead and pulled away. "I love you mom, but I need to do this." He took a fleeting look back towards his father, who still stood at the top of the stair case. His eyes held a warning. "Don't do this," they seemed to say.

He stepped over the threshold and shut the door behind him. He heard his mother's scream as he climbed in his car and sped down the driveway. Away from his parents, away from home, away from Forks. As he hit the main road, he turned towards town. There was one place he needed to go before leaving…

**~* Present Day *~**

"Oh my God! You have to be kidding me!" Bella Swan yelled out to her empty room. The shrill ringing of her phone had jolted her out of the perfect dream. A dream where _he_ had never left her.

Picking up her phone, she shot a glance at the caller ID, even though she already knew who it would be - Alice.

"Rise and shine sleepy head! Do you know what today is?" Alice's jovial voice shot through the phone and did a much better job of waking Bella up than any shot of espresso could do.

"Alice, it's seven in the morning. Why do you insist on waking me up at this ungodly hour. Seriously, you said yourself that we didn't have to start getting ready until noon," Bella said as she threw the covers back on her bed; stretching as she stood up.

"I know what I said, but there's a slight complication. I'm not going to be able to go to the concert with you tonight."

Bella stopped mid-stretch, one arm held high above her, back arched. "I'm sorry, would you care to repeat that? Because I swear that you just said you weren't going to be able to go to the concert. The concert you have been raving about for a month now."

There was silence from the other end of the phone. Finally, Alice's voice came through, "Uh, yeah... we're having to deal with some family issues, but I phoned Angela and she said that you could tag along with her and Ben. I'll still be there at noon to help you get ready, but I won't be able to make is tonight."

Bella found it rather odd that Alice was citing family issues as her excuse and even more odd that she had not been informed of said family issues. After all, Bella was family. Well, as much as one can be without being blood related. The Cullens had never kept anything from her and, especially after his disappearance, Carlisle and Esme had all but taken her on as another child.

"Alice, what's going on? Do I need to stay here tonight and be with you all?"

Alice immediately cut in, not giving Bella a chance to say anything else. "No, no! It's just... well, it's not anything you need to worry yourself over. Something just came up and Carlisle and Esme asked us... me... to stay at home tonight."

Bella sucked in a deep breath, "Alice. By "us" do you mean everyone? Rosalie, Emmett, Jasper?"

Once again, Bella was met with silence on the other end of the phone and barely heard the "yes" Alice whispered.

Oh my God. He's back... Bella thought, dashing to her dresser where she pulled out clothes.

"Bella," Alice's voice cut through like a knife, "I know what you're thinking, but Edward is not back. This... doesn't have anything to do with him. I'm sorry."

Bella had frozen as soon as his name left Alice's mouth. It was very rare for anyone to talk about him in Bella's presence, much less mention his name. Every time his name was spoken, Bella felt the pain of his disappearance all over again.

"Oh, well, I... I wasn't thinking that. It's fine Alice, really. I'll just... see you at noon. Bye." As Bella moved the phone from her ear, she could hear Alice apologizing on the other end, but Bella clicked the phone shut anyway. She'd be seeing Alice in a few hours and she would undoubtedly have to hear about it then.

**~*~**

For the second time in one day, Bella was once again woken from a dream staring him. This time, however, it was the sound of a car horn that woke her.

Slightly unaware, Bella took in her surroundings, her eyes stopping on her bedside clock. Three o'clock... concert starts at eight... in Seattle.

"Damn it!" Bella yelled out, thinking to herself how yelling things out in to an empty room was quickly becoming a trait of hers.

She flung her window open and yelled down to Angela, "Just a second, let me grab my purse! Be right down!" To which Angela nodded from her open car window.

Bella rushed around the room, grabbing her cell phone, purse, ID, and concert ticket. She ran down the stairs, shouting out a "goodbye" to Charlie as she passed the living room.

"What time should I expect you back?" he called out to her.

"Uh, I think we're getting a room in Seattle tonight since it'll be really late when the show is over" she said. Charlie nodded his head, muttering a "be safe" under his breath. Shutting the door behind her, she made her way over to Angela's car and slid in the backseat. As Angela backed out of the driveway, Ben turned around to greet Bella.

"So Bella, excited about tonight? I heard that Volterra puts on an amazing concert!"

After a few minutes of small talk, Bella leaned back in her seat, thinking back on her afternoon with Alice.

"_Seriously Alice, what's going on tonight? It has to be something pretty drastic for you to miss this. The tickets were $150 each!"_

_Alice just shrugged, "I'm not really sure myself. Carlisle just called us all into the living room last night and told us we were having a family meeting tonight. Not quite sure what it's about." Alice resumed her work on Bella's make up._

_Bella knew Alice was lying to her. First off, she herself had been over at the Cullens' house until midnight last night. When she left, everyone had been going to bed. So unless they had some middle of the night family meeting..._

"Bella? Bella?" Angela's voice roused her from her memories.

"What? I'm sorry... I think I just dozed off for a minute. What were you saying?" Bella said, giving her head a little shake.

Looking out the window, Bella saw that they were passing through Sequim. She really must have dozed off to have missed that much of the trip.

"I was saying that the opening band, The Guard, is supposed to be the next big thing. The Volturi Brothers, the ones who manage Volterra, are managing The Guard as well. They've been in the studio pretty much non-stop for the past year. This is their first gig. In fact, management has had them under such tight security that they've never even done a photo shoot or interview. If you Google them, you won't find any pictures, no names to go with the band. Just a veiled reference on The Volturi Brothers' website and a mention in the press release for this tour."

This seemed odd to Bella. Volterra was huge. The Volturi really hit it big when they signed them a few years back. In their past tours, they had some pretty big-named acts open for them. So, for them to have a virtually unknown band open for them seemed almost wrong. Why would the Volturi want to keep The Guard hidden away? What was with the secrecy? Bella decided to let it go, even though there was something about it that just rubbed her the wrong way. She was willing to give unknown bands a shot, something she had acquired from years of attending underground bands' concerts with _him_.

As they entered in to the outskirts of Seattle, Bella sat back and closed her eyes: taking one last rest break before the concert.

**~*~**

_"Edward, sweetheart, you need to get up." Her deep mocha colored eyes looking down on me from where she sat, straddling my waist._

_"I don't wanna get up yet... too short..."_

_Her hand reached out to touch my face, but when I should have felt her smooth finger tips graze my cheek, I merely felt a slight tingle, as if her fingers were floating just over the surface. "I know our time has been cut short. But you'll see me again soon, Edward..." her voice trailed off: his name a mere whisper on her lips._

"EDWARD!!! Seriously! Open this door! You are running late." Once again, Jane's annoying voice cut through Edward's dreams.

This dream had been the most realistic of all of them. He could smell her, feel her, taste her, as if she was in the room with them. In fact, for a brief moment after regaining consciousness, he swore he felt her weight on his abdomen. He reached down just make sure, but only found the sheets where her body should have been.

"EDWARD!!!"

He looked over at his side table, noting that it was now 4:15 and he was running late.

"Shit," he said, throwing the covers off him and quickly getting dressed. He didn't even bother opening the door and letting Jane know he was coming. He'd have to deal with her shortly enough. He turned on the sink in the bathroom and attempted to tame his hair, which looked thoroughly sexed-up, which was amusing to him seeing as how he hadn't had any sexing of any kind since he woke from the accident. After a few moments of trying, to no avail, to calm it down, he decided to just let it be. He grabbed his jacket and hotel key off the desk in his room and flung the door open, causing Jane to crash into him.

He shoved her off of him and made his way down the hall towards the elevators.

"You ass!" Jane was practically running to catch up with him. "You could have at least given me some warning. I think I twisted my ankle when I fell." Her voice was the most maddening sound Edward had ever heard. No one as small as Jane should be as excruciatingly annoying as she had the propensity to be.

Edward pushed the down button for the elevator and turned to face Jane.

"Look here, little one. First of all, if you hadn't been leaning against MY hotel door, you wouldn't have fallen. Secondly, I don't think opening a door requires an announcement. And thirdly, why the hell are you here? What do you do exactly, other than bother the living hell out of me?"

The door to the elevator opened and Jane and Edward piled in, joining two elderly couples. It was quite cramped in the small elevator, so Jane took the opportunity to attach herself to Edward's side. He attempted to brush her off without making a big scene. Realizing his attempts were futile, he dropped his shoulders in defeat, resigning himself to the fact he would have to endure Jane for at least the next 30 seconds until the elevator got to the lobby.

Edward felt a hand on his shoulder and was about to swat it away when he realized that it was one of the older ladies in the elevator. She motioned for him to come closer to her, so he leaned his head down towards her.

"Your girlfriend?" the lady asked, nodding towards Jane.

Edward let out a low chuckle, "Hardly. Just a work acquaintance."

"Good," the woman said, letting out a breath, "she's not the one for you."

Edward could not have agreed more with the woman's statement, but he wondered how this woman came to this conclusion.

The woman must have sensed the confusion on his face as she pulled him back down towards her, "You've had love before, but not with her. You'll find your love again." The woman leaned back in to her husband's arms, effectively ending the conversation.

"Thanks," Edward mumbled, standing up straight again. At that moment the elevator dinged, signaling their arrival at the lobby. Jane pulled him through the elevator doors and out to the waiting lobby.

"Key Arena, and make it fast," she said to the driver.

**~*~**

Walking in to the Key Arena, Edward swore he had been here before. He had been told by Aro that this was his first trip to the Seattle area, his life before the accident having been spent in California. Edward had no choice but to believe Aro, and just brushed off the feeling of deja-vu as a glitch.

Edward's earliest memory was waking up in a Los Angeles hospital room completely alone. He had no idea who he was or why he was there. A few days after waking up, Aro had walked in to the hospital room, holding the key to Edward's lost past. Edward was severely amnesiac and Aro spent the next year reminding Edward of his past.

Edward was the son of Elizabeth and Edward Masen, Sr. of Chicago, IL - distant relatives of Aro. Elizabeth and Edward Sr. had died several years back and custody of Edward had gone to Aro. Edward had been driving to Los Angeles with his band, The Guard, to start recording their first album when Edward's car had careened off the road. Edward didn't remember any of this, but if Aro said it was true, it had to be. Aro was the only family Edward could remember and, even if he turned out not to be family, Edward owed him his life. Literally. Aro had been the one to pay the hospital bills, physical therapy bills, and get Edward's life back on track.

"Edward, my boy! Glad to see you've come out of your cave." Edward looked up to see Aro walking towards him, arms open wide for a hug. Edward didn't know why, but hugging Aro had never seemed right to him. It didn't feel... natural.

Edward side stepped Aro's outstretched arms and walked towards the stage where the rest of the band was. Demetri, Felix and Alec comprised the rest of The Guard, and, apparently, had been Edward's best friends since he was a small child (or so Aro told him). Jane, Alec's sister and Aro's daughter, was the resident groupie. She didn't really hold any spot in the group or management, but had taken it upon herself, with her father's consent of course, to be Edward's personal assistant... if you could call what she did assisting.

"Nice to see you show up, dude. We thought you were gonna bail on us," Demetri said, giving Edward a hard slap on the back. Edward couldn't fathom how he ever was friends with these people. He may not remember anything from before, but he had a hard time imagining he ever got along with the group of people standing before him now. He only stayed with the group because music was his soul. It was the one thing he was sure he loved before just as much as he loved it now.

"Uh, yeah... couldn't exactly miss it, seeing as how the concert is in a few hours," Edward said, chuckling to himself. Truthfully, he probably would have slept straight through the sound check and concert had it not been for Jane.

Evidently Aro was thinking the same thing, because he pulled Jane to his side, giving her a brief kiss on the forehead. "Good thing your girl here has impeccable timing." It didn't go un-noticed by Edward that Aro had called Jane "your girl". Aro was constantly hinting at a relationship between his daughter and Edward, though he had never come straight out and said it.

There was no nice way for Edward to tell Aro that he wasn't in any way interested in Jane, so he just nodded his head and turned back to his band mates.

"Okay, let's get this done and then maybe rehearse a few songs. There's a few things I want to change in one or two of the songs, but wanna run in by you guys first." Edward knew that any changes he made would be embraced by his band mates, as well as management: after all, Edward had written and composed all the songs for band.

Despite Edward's major contributions to the band, he made the decision not to front the band, instead letting that duty fall to Alec. Aro had not been happy about this decision. He had told Edward it had always been the intent that Edward would be the lead singer, and Edward didn't doubt this: he just theorized that his shying away from the spotlight was another side-effect of his accident.

Edward's insistence on the matter is how, half an hour after arriving at the arena, Edward found himself seated in front of his piano; the band launching in to what would, hopefully, become their first single. It was a song Edward had written about a certain girl who haunted his dreams.

**~*~**

Bella, Angela and Ben had arrived at the arena right as the doors were opened. After having their tickets scanned, they made their way to the floor of the arena, lingering towards the back. They had decided to stay towards the back until the end of the opening act - wanting to save their energy for Volterra.

After fifteen or so minutes, Ben headed to the concession stand to get some waters for them. Bella had briefly considered telling him not to worry about getting her one, but a distant memory of _him_ telling her that staying hydrated at concerts was very important made her bite her tongue.

Quite some time had gone by since Ben left to get the drinks, but Angela cited it to everyone wanting to get their drinks and food before the concert got underway. As if on cue, the house lights went out and the crowd started to cheer.

**~*~**

Behind the thick curtain that concealed the stage from the crowd, Edward's nerves started to eat at him. The Guard had played their music for audiences before, but only at parties thrown by the Volturi Brothers and most definitely not for a sold-out arena full of people. Taking his place behind the piano, he wiped his hand off on his jeans.

"You ready for this?" Alec asked, looking around at each band member. All of them nodded their heads, with the exception of Edward, who had his head hung over the piano, taking in deep breaths. Alec walked over to him, placing his hand on his back. "Edward, you alright man?" Edward expelled the breath he'd been holding and sat up straight, turning to look at Alec.

"Yeah, I'm good. Just... don't... don't like make a big deal or anything about me when you're introducing the band. I kinda just wanna play and get off stage, ya know?" Edward thought for a brief moment that he saw pity flash across Alec's face.

"Yeah man, no prob. Anyways, why would I call any attention to you? I'm the leader of the band." Alec smirked, walking back towards the front of the stage.

Edward shook his head, turning back to the piano. He kept his hands in his lap, as this particular song required very little from him in regards to piano playing. He heard Demetri bang the drum sticks together and count off and moments later the curtain came crashing down. The bright spot lights were blinding, causing Edward to raise his hand to his eyes. He could hear the band playing behind him and Alex singing as his eyes tried to adjust to the lighting. Before he knew it, he had to look back to the piano in preparation for an upcoming piano riff.

Before he knew it, the song was over and the lights aimed at him shifted to Alec who was talking to the crowd. Edward chanced a glance back towards the audience and his breath caught in his throat as saw the sea of people laid out before him. He was really glad for the blinding lights before, because had he seen this during the song he'd surely have missed his part.

He took a few calming breaths before turning back to the piano. He figured it was safer to just keep focused on it. As the next song began, he just imagined that it was him and his piano - no one else - and that's how he got through to the end of the set.

**~*~**

Bella had to admit it, she was quite impressed by The Guard. They had put on an amazing set so far and they certainly were living up to the hype that had been made about them. She had spent most of their set with her eyes closed, swaying the beat of the songs, another habit she had picked up from _him_. The songs' lyrics were deep and the melodies that backed them were complex. She had only met one person before whose compositions were so complex, but he was gone. She had to constantly remind herself of this fact all throughout their set, because she could swear that some of the melodies they were playing were ones he had written before he left.

She had spent so much time with her eyes closed, focusing on the music, that she lost track of time. It wasn't until the lead singer announced the last song that she opened her eyes and took in her surroundings. Pulling out her cell phone, she realized that The Guard had already been on stage for an hour and half, much longer than any other opening act she'd ever seen. The lead singer was still talking when she turned to look for Ben and Angela. She spotted them about ten feet away talking with some people she had seen around school before, though she couldn't place their names.

The lead singer began introducing the rest of the band. He had introduced himself after the first song and she had found it somewhat odd that he had waited until the very end of the set to introduce the other band members. Shrugging the thought off, she began walking towards Ben and Angela when she stopped dead in her tracks.

"And that guy over there, ya know the one who hasn't turned from the piano the whole concert, that's Edward Masen. He's our piano man and composes a lot of the shit you heard tonight."

Had it not been for the overwhelming wave of emotions that were bombarding Bella, her blood would be boiling over at him calling the pianist's compositions "shit". But she was entirely too focused on the name that he had spoken to care about that right now. She looked towards her friends to see if they had heard the same thing she had, but they were still wrapped up in their conversation. She realized she was the only one who recognized the significance of the name. Bella was one of the few people that knew he had been adopted by Esme and Carlisle as a child and his biological parents' last name was Masen.

"Come on Edward, say something to the people."

"Uh, hi."

The sound of his voice ripped through Bella. It was a voice she had heard in her head every day for the past three years. She slammed her eyes shut, keeping the tears that accumulated in them from falling, as she turned slowly towards the stage. Even when she was sure that her body faced the right direction, she kept her eyes shut. She was just going to upset herself even more if she opened them and he wasn't there.

"Oh come on Eddie. Say something else. Why don't you tell 'em about the song we're about to play since it's about your girl, or whatever the hell you call her."

The crowd had gone relatively silent at this point and Bella could hear the man whose name she couldn't even bring herself to think take a deep breath.

"Um, yeah... I wrote this song a while back. It's about, well... a girl who... well... damn, I suck at this. Sorry. I'll just let it speak for itself." A small chuckle came through the speakers.

"Damn man, can't even talk straight tonight," another voice carried through the speakers.

Bella felt a surge of pity towards the piano player, because he was obviously very nervous and the fact his band mates were making fun of him didn't sit well with her. She had almost garnered up the courage to look towards the stage when a melody she knew by heart echoed throughout the silent arena. There was only one person in the world other than herself who should know that melody; and as much as her head told her he was gone and never coming back, her heart told her that if she opened her eyes and looked up, he'd be right there.

As she lifted her head, eyes still closed, her brain screamed at her not to do it. She was only setting herself up for the pain she'd undoubtedly feel when she realized it wasn't him. But she had to know, one way or another. With that thought in mind, she steeled herself, bracing for the let down. Her eyes popped open and she searched the stage for the piano - her eyes finally resting on the man seated before it.

**~*~**

"Oh come on Eddie. Say something else. Why don't you tell 'em about the song we're about to play since it's about your girl, or whatever the hell you call her."

Edward was going to kill his band mates, that much was for sure. He would never have to worry about sitting through another torturous night on stage because he was going to be behind steel bars serving time for the murder of his supposed friends.

Shooting a glare towards Felix and then Alec, he leaned in to the microphone.

"Um, yeah... I wrote this song a while back. It's about, well... a girl who... well... damn, I suck at this. Sorry. I'll just let it speak for itself."

Edward could feel the heat on his face from his embarrassment over being put on the spot. Placing his hands on the keys, he played the opening cords of the song. This song had a special place in his heart not only because of his dream girl, but because it was the one thing he was positive he had known before the accident. When he woke from the accident, it was the first thing that he remembered. Hell, the only thing.

It had been like pulling finger nails to get his band mates and managers to agree to let him play this song live. They said it diminished the rock-n-roll vibe that the band was trying to give off. It was only after threatening not to play at all that they'd finally agreed to it.

The piano intro was coming to an end and soon his part would be done and his band mates would finish the song. He still had a few chords to play here and there, but no more solos. As his fingers ghosted across the keys, Edward felt a sense of peace wash over him: the song evoking the memory of her. He knew she was merely a figment of his imagination, but somehow that night, he felt her presence stronger than he ever had before. As his fingers made the final chord of his intro and his band mates began their parts, he chanced a glance towards the audience.

He looked around for a moment, about to turn his body back towards the piano, when his eyes caught something towards the back of the crowd. He closed his eye momentarily, thinking he was hallucinating, but when he opened them he knew this was no dream. Standing in the back of the crowd that had gathered at the front of the stage, not twenty feet from where he sat a pair of wide brown eyes stared back at him. Eyes that could only belong to one person.

* * *

**End Note: **So, there you have it. The first chapter of BS&BH. :) Hope you enjoyed it. Per the rules of the contest, the second chapter will post next week - probably on Friday since I like to wait til the last minute and all.


	2. Bottled Stars

**Lyrical Melodrama Story Contest**

**Name of story: **Bottled Stars and Black Holes**  
**

**Pen name: **BritM

**Song story is inspired by: **"27"**  
**

**Artist: **Fall Out Boy**  
**

**Category: **Newbie

**Main Pairing: **Edward & Bella

**POV: **3rd person

This story is an entry for the Lyrical Melodrama Story contest. To read the rest of the entries or see the submission rules go to **www(dot)thewriterscoffeeshop(dot)com** Any questions concerning the contest can be directed to c**ompetitions(at)thewriterscoffeeshop(dot)com** or through the website.

**DISCLAIMER:** Anything you recognize belongs to its respective owner(s). Anything original is mine :)

**A/N:** This story is rated M for language, sexual references and drug usage. If any of this offends you, you've been forewarned.

**A/N #2: **Just FYI - the last section of this chapter is still told in 3rd person, but unlike previous sections, you get both Bella and Edward's thoughts simultaneously.

**Big thanks to Megsly - my awesome beta - she makes a cameo in this chapter. :)**

* * *

**Chapter 2: Bottled Stars**

As soon as his eyes met hers in the darkened arena, Edward's fingers froze above the keys. He was terrified to look away from her, because no matter how real she seemed at this moment, he was certain that with even the slightest aversion of his eyes she would vanish. So he sat there, lost in her eyes, which were overflowing with tears - eyes that he knew he had seen before, and not just in his dreams. At that realization, a memory hit him. His eyes stayed connected with hers as the memory danced across his mind.

_The boys arms rested gently on the girls hips; her arms around his neck. They were at a dance - a school dance. There was a banner in the back, but the word "prom" was the only one visible. All the people around the boy and girl were a blur. Despite the clarity of the boy and girl, their faces were always turned, but their words were clearly audible above the blaring music._

_"So, have you decided where you're going to college yet?" the girl asked, her head leaning in to rest on the boys shoulder. His arms moved to wrap around her, making a cocoon around her body._

_"Uh, no. You?"_

_The girl's head leaned back, inclining to look up at the boy. "You know that I've already got in to all the schools we applied for. I'm just waiting for you to tell me where you're going so that I can accept."_

_The boy's shoulders slumped slightly and he took a deep breath before speaking, "I think that you should choose where you want to go. Don't wait for me to make a decision."_

_The song ended and the boy dropped his arms from around the girl. "Let's get out of here, I know you hate these things," he said, motioning to the dance around them._

_"Yeah, yeah I do."_

_As they walked away, the girl looked over her shoulder, her face suddenly becoming clear. She had a heart shaped with deep chocolate eyes. Her face was surrounded by long mahogany hair. Raising her free hand in silent recognition, she smiled, one word echoing across the room as she took a breath. "Edward..."  
_  
It seemed like hours, but had been only minutes when he heard his name called by one of his band mates, and, without his permission, his head turned to look at them. They were all standing at the front of the stage, ready to take a bow, but waiting for him to join them. He rose from the piano bench, eyes immediately searching out for her again. As he took his place beside Alec, preparing to bow, he found the spot where, moments before, she had stood. It was empty. Void. Just like his mind at that moment. As his head bowed down, a single tear fell from his eyes, splashing onto the stage beneath him.

He turned quickly, exiting the stage as fast as he legs would carry him. He had to find her; he had to know if she was real or not.

"Edward! You were amazing!" Jane cut him off, throwing her arms around him and peppering kisses along his cheek.

"Stop Jane," he hissed underneath his breath. When she didn't stop, he reached up and grabbed her wrists, prying them away from his neck. "I said stop!"

Jane's face twisted into a snarl for a brief moment before it took on a look of pain. Tears began forming in the corners of her eyes. Edward was slightly confused; he wasn't even holding her wrists tightly. He felt a hand on his shoulder. Turning he saw Aro.

"Edward, take your hands off her. She merely wanted to congratulate you on a good performance - there's no need to hurt the girl," Aro said, cupping Jane's face in his palm. "We'll talk about this behavior of yours later."

Edward dropped Jane's hands, which fell loosely to her sides. As Aro walked away with Jane, she looked over her shoulder at him, smirking.

**~*~  
**

Bella's eyes were glued to the stage. Sitting right in front of her, not twenty feet away, was Edward. Her breath stopped in throat and she felt a strangled sob make its way out of her. Her eyes stayed glued to his as a plethora of emotions overtook her - joy, pain, anger, elation, curiosity. It seemed as if he was looking right at her, but she couldn't be sure.

"Bella," Angela's voice cut through Bella's mind. Turning away from the stage she found Angela and Ben standing a few feet away from her.

"We're going to go get some drinks and run to the bathroom. Do you wanna come with or are you gonna stay here?"

Bella quickly turned back to the stage, only to find Edward walking off it briskly. She wondered if he had even seen her. For all she knew he could have been looking at someone else. Or, if he was in fact looking at her, his walking off the stage like he did gave her the impression he was hoping she hadn't seen him. Turning back to her friends Bella nodded her consent to go with her friends. Following them off the floor and in to the concession area, she began to wonder if she hadn't just hallucinated the entire thing.

"Hey, Ang?" Bella said, grabbing her friends arm, "did you notice anything familiar about the piano player for The Guard?"

Angela shook her head slowly, "No. To be honest with you, I didn't really look up at the stage a whole bunch. I got wrapped up talking to Jessica and Lauren. Why? Did he look familiar to you?"

Bella shrugged her shoulders, not quite knowing how to answer that. Most everyone in Forks knew about Edward leaving in the middle of the night and the discovery of his car a few days later. Other than Bella and, she suspected, the Cullens, most everyone else thought he had died. How would it sound to say that she just saw him sitting on that stage very much alive? But she had seen him and there was only one person she knew would believe her.

Shaking her head minutely, she smiled at Angela, "No. He was just kinda cute. That's all. I'm gonna go call Alice," she said, motioning towards a chair nearby. "Come get me when you guys are ready to head back in."

Angela smiled at her understandingly. When everyone else had told Bella to get over Edward and move on, Angela had been the one who encouraged her to take her time. She was glad to see that Bella was able to finally look at another guy without feeling overwhelmingly guilty over it. Even if he was a rock star who she'd probably never meet.

Bella watched Angela and Ben walk towards the bathroom, making sure they were well out of earshot, when she whipped her phone out and called Alice.

As soon as she heard the phone pick up, she wasted no time in saying what she needed to say.

"Alice, it's Edward."

She heard a sob from the other end of the phone. "Alice, what's wrong?"

"How did you find out? Carlisle and Esme just told us today."

To say Bella was confused would be the understatement of the century.

"Alice, what are you talking about?"

"The search Bella. The police have closed Edward's case. Carlisle and Esme are planning a memorial service for next week."

Bella was shaking at this point, barely able to hold the phone up to her face.

"A memorial service? Why would they do that unless... he's alive Alice."

"No Bella. He's dead. Edward's dead."

The phone fell from Bella's hand, clanking loudly on the floor.

For a moment, Bella just sat there. Not really thinking of what Alice had said.

Then the realization of Alice's words resonated through Bella's mind. _He _was dead. There was no way the man she had just seen was Edward.

She dropped her head to the table, letting the sobs take over her body.

**~*~**

"Excuse me. Sorry." Edward pushed his way through the crowd that was gathering at the front of the stage. Unlike them, however, he was trying to get to further away, not closer to the stage. As he pushed his way through the crowd, he could care less that people around him were beginning to recognize him. The only thing on his mind was _her._

He finally made his way to spot on the floor where he thought he had seen her. There was no better place to begin his search than here. He began looking around frantically. When he saw her before, she had been like a beacon to him amidst the sea of people. He could _feel_ her presence before he had even seen her. Right now he wasn't feeling anything except frustration.

"Excuse me. Aren't you Edward Masen? From The Guard?" He turned around a saw a woman about his age staring up at him. He didn't really want to bother with anyone right now, but she seemed nice enough and maybe she had seen _her. _

This was his first "fan encounter" and he didn't know if the girl was going to retain her calm demeanor or was going to start screaming. Praying for the best he smiled and said, "Uh, yeah. That's me."

A blush crept across her face as she looked towards the floor. "I just... well... I thought your piano playing was brilliant. I don't mean any disrespect to your group, but your the only one who seemed to pour their soul in to the music."

This was not at all the response Edward had anticipated and he was speechless.

"Well, it was nice to meet you. Have a good day," the woman said, turning to walk away.

Edward snapped out of his stupor and called out to her. "Excuse me..."

She turned around.

"I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name."

"Megan. It's Megan."

"Megan. Nice to meet you Megan. Did you by any chance see a girl out here with brown hair and brown eyes?"

She gave him a quizzical look. "Uh, that kind of describes a lot of people out here," she said with a chuckle, "any other traits?"

He ran his hand through his hair in frustration, trying his best to remember anything else about her. He did remember seeing a hint of blue, maybe her shirt.

"Um, yeah. I think she had on a blue shirt. She was standing right about here."

Megan stood for a moment, thinking hard. Edward was certain this was a lost cause and was about to just tell her to never mind when her eyes got wide.

"Yes. She was with a darker haired girl and boy. I remember thinking she looked just as entranced by your music as I was."

Edward nodded his head, encouraging Megan to go on.

"I'm pretty sure her friend said something about getting drinks and going to the bathroom. They went that way." Megan motioned to the section of seats directly behind them.

Edward turned to walk off, but forgot something.

Sweeping Megan up in a hug, he whispered a quiet, "thank you" in her ear.

"Uh, yeah. No problem," Megan said, patting his back awkwardly.

Waving goodbye, Edward turned and all but sprinted towards the seats. He scaled the staircase in record time before bursting out in to the concession area.

There were people everywhere; Edward couldn't turn without nearly ramming in to someone. He had no idea how he was going to find her in this mess. Every time he saw a brunette wearing a blue shirt his heart clenched, only to be let down when the girl wasn't _her_. He had circled the concession area several times and was convinced she had been a figment of his imagination when he felt it.

A subtle tingle took over his body, just as it had when he had seen her in the crowd. His heart beat sped up rapidly with the knowledge that she was near. He stopped in the middle of the walkway, not caring if he was inconveniencing those around him. His eyes scanned the area, slowly, carefully. To his left, the crowd seemed to part for a mere second and that's when he caught sight of _her_. She was sitting at a table, her head in her hands.

A million thoughts raced through his mind. What would he say to her? How would he explain her importance to him? Would she think he was crazy? While he worked all these questions over in his mind, the girl stood, wiping her eyes on her shirt sleeve. She bent down and picked up something before glancing around herself. Once again, her eyes caught his, but only for the briefest of moments.

Before he knew what was happening, she turned and began to walk extremely fast away from him. Without giving a second thought as to why she was apparently running from him, he took off in the direction she went. He caught up with her moments later. His hand shot out and grabbed her elbow, spinning her towards him.  
He didn't know what to think, having this real-life incarnation of his dreams standing only inches away from him.

She let out an audible gasp before looking down where his hand was wrapped around her elbow in a vice-grip.

His gaze followed hers. He released her arm immediately, realizing that he shouldn't have just grabbed her like that.

"I'm so sorry. I just, I had to stop you. I had to see you. I had..."

Before he could get another word out her hand shot out, smacking him across the face. The pain from it rocked him to his very core. He put his hand to his face, not quite knowing what to do.

The girls face was twisted in anger, her chest rising and falling with the rapid breaths she was taking. Edward couldn't help but think that she looked like a star - a bottled star that was going to explode into a supernova at any moment. Her mouth opened and Edward realized that she was going to say something. _She _was real, right in front of him, and was going to speak to him. His heart sped up at the thought of hearing her voice.

The first words his star spoke to him were, "Fuck you Edward Cullen."

**~*~**

There was no doubt in Bella's mind anymore that this was in fact Edward standing in front of her. He was slightly different looking – the familiar reddish-brown hair had been replaced by blond highlights, his face had lost all its baby fat and was much more chiseled, and his eyes… his eyes look tired, the dazzling emerald color was now a dull forest green.

Despite her joy at finding him alive and well, she was fuming. She couldn't fathom how he could just disappear for two years, letting his family believe him dead, and just expect her to act like nothing happened. So she did the only thing she could, she slapped him - hard. She put all her anger and pain, as well as the Cullens', behind her swing. When her fist made contact with his jaw, she heard a snap, followed by a sharp pain.

Not wanting to let him know that in attempting to hurt him, she had hurt herself, she put her hand behind her back. To emphasize her punch, and hopefully distract him from the pain now shooting through her arm, she let him have it verbally.

"Fuck you Edward Cullen."

Edward was slightly taken back not only at this girls obvious hostility towards him, but also by the name she called him. His eyes hardened for a brief moment before softening as they traveled down her body, where he saw her right hand cradled against her stomach. He could faintly make out bruising, which didn't really surprise him - she had punched him _really _hard.

"May I?" he asked, reaching out tentatively for her hand.

As much as Bella wanted to just keep on letting him have it, she had a little bit more tact than to do so in the middle of a crowded arena. Her hand also was beginning to swell and she knew that she needed to get it on ice as soon as possible and possibly have someone look at it. Edward was currently her best hope at the later, as she knew there was always a medical team on hand at concerts of this size and he would have access to them.

She narrowed her eyes at him, judging his sincerity. He could just be trying to get her off his case by passing her off to the medical team. After all, he had just left in the middle of the night, crashed his car hundreds of miles from home, and left everyone who cared about him to think he was dead. However, the man in front of her looked nothing except sincere. It seemed to her that he wanted nothing more than to make sure she was okay.

She nodded her head in approval and he gently placed her hand in his. The shock began immediately, as it always had when he had touched her. A rapid warmth ran down her spine, through every nerve ending in her body; it felt like she was on fire, but without pain.

Edward also noticed the return of the tingles he had felt earlier when he was looking at her; only this time they were magnified because his body was coming in contact with hers. He couldn't help but feel that this was not the first time he had touched her.

"I think you broke a few fingers, and there's obviously some bruising," he said, his fingers grazing over the now purplish-blue areas on her hand. Because he had obviously done something to offend her, he added "I hate that I've done this to you."

Bella looked at him, slightly taken back by what he said. She retracted her hand from his grasp, the fire in her dying immediately.

"This," she said, raising her injured hand, "is not your fault. But this," she placed her hand over heart, "is broken because of you."

A few traitor tears made their way out as she spoke. She turned her head, hoping to wipe them away before he saw them. But Edward saw the tears rolling down her cheeks as she turned. Before he'd even had time to think about it, his fingers reached out and gingerly wiped away her tears. The motion seemed oddly familiar to him - a feeling he was getting a lot with this girl.

Once again, his body acted on its own volition and he pulled her into his arms, being careful to not put too much stress on her injured hand. His lips brushed across the top of her head as he whispered more to himself than to her, "I don't know what I have done to hurt you like this, but I swear I'll make it up to you."

They both stood there for a few more moments before Edward decided that he best not push his luck with this girl. There were still many unanswered questions lingering between them. He grabbed her good hand and began guiding her towards the entrance to the backstage area where she could get her hand looked at.

"We need to get you to the medics," he explained, so she didn't think he was leading her blindly.

Bella followed along behind him for a few steps before stopping suddenly. Edward turned and gave her a questioning look.

"We are going to talk as soon as my hands been looked at. You have some serious explaining to do Edward Cullen."

Edward couldn't figure out for the life of him why she had called him Edward Cullen twice now. His last name was Masen, but why did Cullen sound so familiar to him?

* * *

**End Notes: **I meant for this chapter to be quite a bit longer, but real life got in the way. (Hence me not uploading this until an hour before it's due.) Regardless, I feel good where I left off with this chapter, it got done what it was supposed to. Chapter 3 will be much longer and have more drama/angst. Also, if you like the story, please review! And if it's not your cup of tea, that's cool too, just review and let me know what isn't working for you! I appreciate it! And check out all the other entries!


	3. My Mind is a Safe

**Lyrical Melodrama Story Contest**

**Name of story: **Bottled Stars and Black Holes**  
**

**Pen name: **BritM

**Song story is inspired by: **"27"**  
**

**Artist: **Fall Out Boy**  
**

**Category: **Newbie

**Main Pairing: **Edward & Bella

**POV: **3rd person

This story is an entry for the Lyrical Melodrama Story contest. To read the rest of the entries or see the submission rules go to **www(dot)thewriterscoffeeshop(dot)com** Any questions concerning the contest can be directed to c**ompetitions(at)thewriterscoffeeshop(dot)com** or through the website.

**DISCLAIMER:** Anything you recognize belongs to its respective owner(s). Anything original is mine :)

**A/N:** This story is rated M for language, sexual references and drug usage. If any of this offends you, you've been forewarned.

**A/N #2: **Just so you know, about halfway through the chapter there will be a section where you will be getting Bella and Edward's thoughts/reactions simultaneously (just like last chapter). I didn't want to have to backtrack and go through the scene all over again. It was just easier to do it this way. Also, Edward's condition - Post-traumatic Retrograde Amnesia - is briefly touched on in this chapter (next chapter goes into much more detail). While I am confident that the information I have presented in correct, I am only human and, therefore, quite capable of error. If you are a doctor, nurse, or someone who has intricate knowledge of this topic and notice a mistake or flaw in regards to this, please let me know :)

**Big thanks to my amazing beta - Megsly - who never complains about me sending this off to her at the last minute. I love her! :)  
**

* * *

**Chapter 3: My Mind is a Safe**

No matter how hard he tried to focus elsewhere, Edward's eyes kept darting back to the girl sitting a few feet away from him. He didn't want to sit too close to her in case she decided to break her other hand against his face. He wasn't too concerned for himself, though the girl did pack a punch, but it was tearing him apart to see her in pain.

"There you go Bella. Now make sure to keep ice on your hand as much as you can to keep the swelling down, and make sure you go and see a doctor in two to three weeks to make sure your bones are setting correctly." The on-sight doctor patted Bella's shoulder.

"And Edward, just keep the ice pack on your face as long as you can and the swelling will go down for you as well: though you're going to have a nice bruise there for the next few days." Edward stood and shook the doctor's hand and walked him towards the door of the dressing room. The doctor leaned over, lowering his voice a little. "Your girl's got a mean right-hook. Won't be pissing her off again will you?" Edward shook his head as he shut the door behind the doctor. His heart swelled a little at the doctor's words - _your girl._

Edward sat back down, still keeping the distance between himself and Bella. Now that he knew her name, he couldn't help but keep repeating it to himself. Bella.

He heard a small giggle come from beside him. Turning to face her, he saw that Bella had lifted her right hand and was examining it from all angles.

"I don't know that a bruised hand and two broken fingers is something I'd be laughing about," he mumbled under his breath, not expecting her to actually hear him.

Bella laid her right hand down in her lap, turning to face him. "I'm not laughing at the fact that I injured myself. I'm laughing at how I did it."

Edward crinkled his eyebrows together in confusion. Sensing this Bella elaborated. "You know how I am. I'm a walking danger magnet. Carlisle told me once that I have the highest record of admittance at the hospital ever. I've just never have been injured from hitting someone before. It's a first."

Carlisle. Where had he heard that name before? "Who's Carlisle?"

Bella's eyes widened significantly before her face contorted into an angry glare. She stood up and was in front of him, her finger lingering dangerously close to his face, before he could even comprehend her movements.

"What are you playing at Edward? Why are acting like you have no idea who you are or who I am?"

Edward reached out slowly and gently took her hand into his. "You're going to hurt yourself even more if you keep waving your hand around like that. I couldn't bear to see you in anymore pain, and you didn't answer my question - who is Carlisle?"

Bella jerked her hand out of his grasp, wincing as the pain shot up her arm. "You don't answer any of my questions. And why should you start caring now about putting me through pain? You obviously didn't care when you left me and your family in the middle of the night, drove your car off a cliff, and went on letting us think your were dead!!! So tell me Edward, _why the hell should you care now?_"

Edward sat there, arm still outstretched from where Bella's hand had rested in his. He had no idea how to respond; his mind was racing as it tried to process all the information her outburst had provided him with.

Bella obviously knew who he was before his accident, which explained why she was so familiar to him. She had also referenced his family. While Aro had told him that Elizabeth and Edward Sr. had died when he was younger, Bella's words led him to believe that he had close family members who were still alive - a direct paradox to Aro's claim that he was Edward's only surviving family. What resonated with him the most was that Bella had obviously believed him dead up until that night. It was with that thought that a big light bulb went off in Edward's head. Bella firmly believed he had made a conscious decision after the accident not to contact her or his family. She had no idea that Edward couldn't remember anything before the accident.

In the back of his mind, Edward wondered why Aro had not mentioned any other family members or why he hadn't let them know that Edward had survived an accident that should have killed him. But that was not important right now.

Right now, in that moment, Bella was all that mattered to him. Because, while he may not remember her from before, her near constant staring role in his dreams and the way his body felt when in her presence, made him certain that she had been it for him. Because of this, he wanted to clear the air with her regarding who he was - or who she thought he was. As selfish as it was, he couldn't bear the thought that she would think he would purposefully let her, and his family, believe him dead. He would never do that to her.

"Bella. I think there has been some misunderstanding," he said softly, standing up off the couch.

"_Misunderstanding_?!" Bella's voice reverberated through the tiny room. In the silence that followed, Edward could hear Volterra taking the stage. The silence didn't last long, though, because as soon as he opened his mouth to explain himself, Bella started yelling again.

"Are you telling me that I am misunderstanding how you stormed out of your parents' house in the middle of the night, leaving your mother a broken mess on the floor? Am I misunderstanding how just hours after you promised forever to me you left without even a goodbye text message or note? Or are you telling me that your parents planning a memorial service for you as we speak, is just a misunderstanding? Your car was found fifteen days after you left, upside down at the bottom of a cliff. There was no body. And then there were no hospital records of anyone matching your description. For two years now I've thought you were dead," a sob cut off her last word. Her body slumped to the floor, convulsing with the force of the sobs leaving her.

Edward wasted no time in scooping her up of the floor and sitting back on the couch, with her on his lap. She fought him for a moment before giving in any wrapping her arms around his neck, soaking his shirt with her tears.

After a few minutes, her cries let up. Edward placed her gently on the couch and went into the restroom to get some tissues for her.

"Thanks," Bella sniffled, taking the tissues from his hand as he sat back down.

"Bella," Edward said, turning to face her. She turned her body from his.

He had to explain to her, and he had to do it now.

He gently cupped her chin in his hand, turning her head to him. He leaned in until he was inches from her face. As her sweet breath washed across his face, he found himself leaning in further.

"I know that I loved you, but I wish I could remember you," he whispered, as his lips brushed across hers.

He heard her gasp right as the door to his dressing room flung open.

**~*~**

Bella gasped as Edward's words washed over her lips in a hushed whisper.

_He doesn't remember me? What does that mean?_

Before she could voice her thoughts, the door to Edward's dressing room flew open, and a large dark haired man walked in.

"Edward, where the hell did you disappear to?" The man stopped in his tracks as his eyes landed on Bella.

"Oh, I see. You found yourself a groupie," he continued, walking towards the couch.

Edward stood quickly, effectively placing himself between me and this other man.

"Demetri, that's not," Edward paused for a moment, pinching the bridge of his nose. That simple motion, a habit Edward had had since he was a small child, warmed Bella's heart.

Edward continued, "Just get out." He placed his hand on the larger mans shoulder, pushing hard in an effort to get him out of the room.

"Okay man," Demetri said, backing out of the room, "but just so you know Jane was..."

Edward cut off Demetri's words with a slam of the door. He stood there, facing the now closed door, running his hands through his hair for a few minutes. Bella just sat on the couch, not quite sure what to say.

Finally Edward turned around, twirling his fingers together in obvious discomfort. "Um, so, yeah. I think we need to talk, but that's not going to happen here without a ton of interruptions. So, do you want to go somewhere and talk?" Bella couldn't help but crack a small smile at this Edward's obvious discomfort. The Edward she knew was a very take-charge kind of guy; he was always so sure of himself.

Bella ducked her head in thought. Obviously she wanted to talk to Edward; she needed to figure out what the hell was going on with him. But most importantly, she also needed to let the Cullens know that their son, their brother was alive. She knew they would want to see him as soon as possible. She also knew there was a possibility they'd think she'd gone over the deep in, so to speak. The only way for them to believe her would be for them to see him in person.

Looking up at Edward she gave him a small smile, "Yeah. I'd like that. But I need to call home and let them know not to expect me back any time soon." She really hoped her voice hadn't betrayed the nerves that were boiling right under the surface. She didn't know how Edward would respond to knowing she was planning on calling his parents to come to Seattle.

Edward face broke out into a bright smile at Bella's acceptance of his offer. He rushed forward and enveloped her in a hug. Bella felt her body giving in, but her mind was screaming at her not to jump in to anything until she knew the whole story. Her hands splayed out across Edward's chest, pushing slightly. He took a step back, confusion once again marring his beautiful features.

"I'm sorry," Bella whispered, "I just, can't... not now. Not until we talk." She took a step back towards the couch. "I need to call home now," she said, holding her phone up.

Edward nodded his head in understanding. "Yeah, I'll just give you a moment. I'll... step out for a minute." With that, he stepped out of the dressing room, closing the door quietly behind him.

As soon as the door clicked shut, Bella dialed the Cullens.

"Hello?" Esme's voice came over the line and Bella could hear the sadness in it.

"Esme, hi; it's Bella. May I speak to Carlisle, please." She knew that Carlisle would be her best bet when it came to telling the Cullens what she had discovered.

"Um, Bella, now's not a good time. I know Alice told you, but..." Esme's voice broke as she began crying.

_Esme? Honey, who's on the phone?_ Bella could hear Carlisle's voice coming through the line.

"Hello? Who is this?"

"Carlisle, it's Bella. Look, I need to talk to you about Edward. He's..."

"Bella. I know Alice told you what we're doing, and I'm sorry we didn't include you. We just thought it would be easier..."

"No! Carlisle, Edward's not dead. I know he's not. He's...."

"_Bella_!" The force of Carlisle's voice shocked Bella. "I know it's hard, but there's been no evidence that he survived Bella. The police have closed the case. I have to go Bella, Esme's quite a mess right now. I'll..."

"_I'm with him right now Carlisle!_" Bella yelled in to the phone to prevent Carlisle hanging up on her. She was met with silence on the other end of the phone, but could hear footsteps and the shutting of a door.

"Okay, Bella. I'm outside, I don't want to have this conversation with anyone else around. Now what is this about Edward?" Carlisle sounded exasperated and Bella could just see him running his hand through his blond hair. _Like father like son._

Bella recounted the days events as quickly and quietly as she could, not knowing if Edward could hear her or when he would decide to come back in the room.

Carlisle took a deep breath, "Are you certain Bella? Not that I don't believe I just... this would tear Esme up if it turned out to..."

"I'm sure Carlisle." She heard a slight knock on the door followed by Edward's voice.

"Bella, can I come in?"

"One second!" she called.

"Was that _him_ Bella?" Carlisle asked.

"Yes. Please come, as soon as you can."

"Bella, I hate to ask this of you, but can you get a picture of him on your phone, and send it to me. I need to.. be certain."

"Yeah Carlisle, I think I can manage."

"Oh, and Bella... don't let him out of your sight. See you soon."

Bella clicked the phone shut and let out a sigh of relief. She took a deep breath, knowing what she had to do.

Gathering her things, she walked to the door and opened it. Edward was leaning up against the wall opposite the doorway waiting for her.

His head cocked to the side in a silent question,_ are we good to go?_

"Let's go." Bella affirmed.

"I called a taxi, I hope that's okay." Edward said, as he led her out of the arena.

"Yeah, that's fine. I didn't drive." Bella stopped dead in her tracks. "Crap! I forgot to call Angela and Ben and let them know not to wait for me."

Pulling out her phone, she quickly dialed Angela's phone. Getting her voice mail, Bella left a message.

"Your friends?" Edward questioned, motioning to her phone with his hand.

"Yeah, they agreed to drive me after your sis... uh, after Alice couldn't come."

Bella noted that Edward did give her a curious look, but chose to ignore her little slip-up.

Helping her into the waiting cab, he gave the driver the name of the hotel.

While he was otherwise engaged, Bella snapped a quick photo of him.

She typed out a quick message to Carlisle, making sure to include the name of the hotel, and sent the picture.

Her phone chimed a few minutes later. _We'll be there first thing in the morning. Stay with him, please. - C_

**~*~**

Walking down the hall to his hotel room, Edward was praying that house keeping had tidied up the room. However, as they approached the door, he could clearly see the 'do not disturb' tag hanging from the door handle.

"Well, here we are. Sorry if it's messy." Edward said, guiding Bella in to his hotel room. Bella made a quick note of the room number so she could message Carlisle with it later.

Edward walked ahead of her into the living room area of the suite to pick up some of the trash littering the floor and table.

Bella was shocked when she took in her surroundings. The Edward she knew was nothing if not extremely neat and tidy. It looked like a tornado had swept through the room. She sat down on the couch, taking in her surroundings a bit more. On the coffee table she saw what looked to be sheet music. Reaching out to pick it up, her hand stopped mid-air when she saw what appeared to be drug residue and a rolled up dollar bill just right of her hand.

Edward saw where Bella's eyes were resting and quickly picked up the dollar bill, wiping the surface of the table off with his shirt sleeve. Bella's eyes flicked quickly to his. "Edward. Was that... cocaine?"

This was definitely not the conversation he wanted to be having with her right now. He had much more important things to discuss, like who he was.

"Um, yeah. Some of the other band members use and..." his voice trailed off as he noticed the look on her face. Her left eyebrow was raised up, her face seemed to say _Uh-huh. Yeah. I don't believe you._ He just shrugged, walking to the kitchen area. "Do you want anything to drink or eat?" he asked, hoping to diffuse the situation.

Bella watched him walk away. She definitely didn't buy in to his explanation, but she would address that issue later. At Edward's mention of food, her stomach began to growl quite loudly. Edward turned and shot her an incredulous look.

"What? I've not eaten anything since lunch," she explained, shrugging her shoulders.

"Well, are you hungry for anything in particular? Room service can make you practically anything," Edward said, nodding his head enthusiastically.

Bella couldn't help but smile at him. He obviously had ordered from room service quite a bit. "A hamburger and fries would be nice. With a coke to drink."

As Edward ordered the food, Bella shot another message to Carlisle with Edward's room number. Then she mentally prepared herself for what was about to come.

Thirty minutes later, both Bella and Edward were leaned back on the couch, stomachs full. Edward took a deep breath, turning to face Bella right as she was turning to face him.

"Um, so... why don't you tell me what you know," Bella said, tucking her feet underneath her. She figured it would be easier for her to know where to start if she knew what she was working with before.

Edward felt bad for Bella. As he saw it, he had the easier part of the two of them.

"Well, I honestly don't remember anything before the accident. I don't even remember the accident itself. I woke up in a hospital having no clue who I was or how I got there. Even the things that people have told me about myself don't..." Edward paused, looking for the right words, "feel right. Does that make sense?"

Bella nodded before asking him a question that had been bugging her all night, "You seemed to know who I was when we saw each other though. How is that possible if you don't remember?"

Edward knew she was going to ask this and, at the risk of sounding crazy, decided to forewarn her. "Just so you know, this is going to sound insane to you, but please promise to just... go with it."

Bella nodded.

"I knew who you were because from the moment I awoke, you were the only face in my memories. I couldn't remember who you were or where I knew you from, but when I closed my eyes at night, it was always your face I saw. You would speak to me in my dreams, telling me everything would work itself out one day. I feel so... connected to you. So when I saw you at the concert, I swear I thought I was hallucinating. I thought you were just a figment of my imagination."

Bella's eyes filled with tears at Edward's admission. He'd never forgotten her face. He may not have known how he knew her, but she was always with him. This comforted her slightly. She reached over, taking his hand in hers. "You were... are... the love of my life. The night you left, you gave me this." She released his hand and held up her own, showing off the ring on her finger.

Edward sucked in a deep breath. "We're we... engaged?"

Bella's laugh rang out through the room. "No. It was a promise ring. A promise that one day we would be engaged. You gave it to me hours before you left." Bella's face went from one of amusement to one of pain in mere moments, causing Edward to scoot closer to her on the couch. He placed his hand on her knee, giving it a small, reassuring pat.

"I'm sorry I don't remember that."

Silence took over the room for a moment before Edward spoke again, "Who am I Bella? I want to know everything."

Bella took an unnecessarily deep breath before beginning.

"Your name is Edward Cullen, but you were born Edward Masen. You were born June 20th, 1987. You're birth parents, Elizabeth and Edward Sr. died when you were very young, two I believe. You had no living relatives, and your mother had stated in her will that if anything were to happen to her and Edward Sr. that her best friend, Esme, would get custody of you. So, Carlisle and Esme adopted you and you came to live with them in Forks. It's a small town about four hours from here. They have two other children they adopted, twins - Alice and Emmett. They're were born a few months before you were, and Carlisle and Esme adopted them when you were five."

Bella stopped talking for a moment, to give Edward time to process this information before she moved on. Edward was shocked at the parallels between Aro's story and the one Bella was telling them. In both stories, Edward's birth parents were the Masens. How would Aro have known this? Was he really a distant relative of Edward's and simply didn't know Edward had been adopted? The probability seemed unlikely. He shook his clear of the thoughts; there would be a confrontation with Aro, but right now Edward wanted Bella to continue.

He looked over and saw she was studying his face. She reached out with her left hand and the stones in her promise ring shimmered in the light. He couldn't help but feel a little proud that this girl was his, even if he didn't remember it. Her fingers traced the countours of his face, his eyes fluttering shut with the sensation. He wondered if she felt the the electricity between them.

"I feel it too," Bella whispered, as if reading his mind. She wrapped her good arm around his waist, pausing for a moment to ask him if it was okay.

Edward nodded as Bella cuddled in to his side. In that moment, everything in Edward's life fell in to place. He knew that with this girl by his side he could face anything.

"Tell me about us," he whispered as he laid his chin on top of her head. Before the scent even reached his nose, he knew she'd smell of strawberries.

"We met when I moved to Forks our freshman year of high school. My mom and step dad live in Phoenix, but I decided to come to Forks to stay with my dad since my mom and Phil travel a lot: Phil plays minor-league baseball. My first day at school, Alice, who is one of the happiest, most exuberant people you'll ever meet, immediately attached herself to my side and brought me in to your little group.

You and I started dating junior year after you helped me through a really bad break-up with my ex, James. You hated him. I remember you, Emmett, and Jasper, that's Alice's fiance, beating the crap out of him after school one day. You all were suspended for a week, but you always said it was worth it since it brought us together. Being with you was effortless. It was like we were two pieces of the same puzzle. We just fit." She snuggled in to his side a little more, as if to prove her point.

"Music was your life. You always had dreams of becoming this huge rock-star." Edward flinched at this revelation. Being a rock-star was the last thing he wanted now. He only agreed to be in The Guard because of Aro's insistence.

"You always were composing songs on the piano and guitar. You played a few of them tonight, how did you remember them?" Bella sat back a little and looked up at him.

He shrugged his shoulders, pulling her back to his side. "I have no idea. It was the only thing, other than you, that I just knew when I woke up. I had these melodies floating around in my head and no idea where they came from. The first time I sat down in front of a piano they just poured out of me."

"The last song you played tonight - the opening melody - was a lullaby you wrote for me. You'd occasionally sneak in to my room to spend the night, but you said you wanted me to have a piece of you for when you couldn't be there. It's the only thing that's got me through the past two years."

Edward smiled into Bella's hair. He knew that song was about her, because the first time it had come to him was in a dream in which she starred.

"Bella, what happened the night I left?" He pulled back a bit as he felt her tense up beside him.

It was the question Bella had been dreading to answer the entire night. She knew that eventually she'd have to rehash that memory and the days after it. It wasn't something she was looking forward too, but he needed to know before he saw his family tomorrow.

Pulling out of his embrace, she turned her body so she was facing forward. She didn't want him witness to the tears which would undoubtedly come with this particular part of his story.

"It was graduation night. We had opted out of the big party that night, instead choosing to spend it with our little group. It was you, me, Alice, Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie - she's Jasper's sister and Emmett's girlfriend. We hung out at my house until around two in the morning. Alice stayed at my place when you went home. Emmett and Rose decided to go see if the party was still going on. Jasper went home as well.

_"I love you Bella. I always will..." Edward's voice was a whisper in Bella's mind as she woke up from a particularly good dream._

_She shivered a bit in her bed, pulling the covers up and turning over. As she was about to close her eyes, she noticed the open window. She often left her window open at night when Edward would be coming over, but with Alice spending the night here tonight, she had closed it. Getting out of bed, she walked over to the window. As she pulled it shut, she noticed a set of tail-lights trailing off in the distance. 'That's odd,' she thought._

_With the window firmly shut, she turned back to her bed. She stopped in her tracks when a piece of paper on her bed side table caught her eye. Her name was scrawled across the paper in Edward's elegant script. She crawled back in to bed and opened the note. The unusually bright moon gave just enough light for her to read it without turning on the lamp._

_My Sweet Bella,_

_You are my life. I will love you for the rest of eternity._

_I made you a promise and I'll stay true to it._

_One day I __**will**__ marry you._

_Always Yours,_

_Edward._

_She smiled to herself, leave it to Edward to sneak in to her room and leave her a love note. She folded the note up and placed it back on her side table. She drifted back to sleep with thoughts of Edward on her mind._

_What felt like minutes later, Bella was woken up to Alice shaking her._

_"Bella. Bella! We have to go. Something has happened, we need to go to my house. Edward's gone."_

_Bella shot up at Alice's words. "Gone?"_

_Alice nodded as she hopped around the room, pulling her clothes on._

_Bella jumped out of bed, not even bother with putting clothes on. Shorts and tank top were going to have to suffice._

_As the two girls ran down the stairs, Charlie's voice carried down the stairs._

_"Bella? Where the hell are you going at this time of night?"_

_"I don't have time to explain dad, Edward's gone. Carlisle just called and said he's gone."_

_Bella grabbed her keys off the hook by the door, and pulled the front door open._

_Charlie's hand appeared out of nowhere, shutting the door._

_"__**Charlie**__! I have to go now!"_

_She turned to find Charlie putting on his coat, "You're not going anywhere like this, I'm driving you girls. Give me your keys."_

_Bella didn't argue with him. In fact, she was glad he was coming along, maybe he could call police headquarters and get the search for Edward underway._

_Thanks to Charlie breaking more than a few traffic laws, they made it to the Cullens' in record time._

_Alice and Bella burst in the front door and were shocked by what they found._

_Rosalie and Jasper were on the couch, comforting a sobbing Esme; Carlisle was on the phone, leaving Edward a voice mail; and Emmett was pacing the living room, his giant hands clenching and unclenching repeatedly. _

_Alice ran over to the couch where Jasper had stood to allow her to sit by her mother. Bella followed, standing there awkwardly until Rose got up, placing a gentle hand on Bella's shoulders, giving her a look of... pity?_

_Bella sat in the spot Rose had vacated. Bella and Alice sat there comforting Esme as she sobbed her way through the story._

_Behind the couch, Bella caught sight of Carlisle talking to Charlie, presumably sharing the story with him as well._

_A few minutes later, everyone joined them in the living room._

_"Esme," Charlie said, squatting down to be face-to-face with her, "I'm so sorry about this, I know it's not what you want to hear... but, the police can't do anything about this."_

_Bella shot up out of her seat at this. "What are you talking about! You have to go after to him, you have to!" Bella screamed at her father, who flinched at her tone. Emmett came over, wrapping an arm around Bella._

_Charlie continued, "Edward left on his own. Since he's an adult and left willingly, we can't do anything for you. Your just going to have to wait for him to call."_

_Charlie placed a hand on Esme's shoulder, squeezing gently, before standing up and, in a very un-Charlie like way, gathering Bella in his arms._

_"I'm so sorry baby. We're just going to have to wait and see if he calls." He whispered to her._

_Bella pulled back, "Is there __**nothing**__ you can do?"_

_Charlie took in a deep breath before expelling it. Turning to Carlisle he spoke, "I suppose I can make a few calls and tell some other precincts to keep an eye out for his car. Can I get the make/model and license plate number Carlisle?"_

_Carlisle nodded and motioned for him to follow him. They headed upstairs to Carlisle's study._

_Bella felt herself falling apart. Her knees gave and she slumped to the floor. Alice came and sat beside her, gathering her best friend up in her arms._

_"It will be okay Bella," she said, as she rocked her weeping best friend in her arms._

"Fifteen days later Charlie got a call from a precinct in Hoquiam. They found your car off the side of the highway. It had fallen a hundred feet over the side of a cliff."

Edward's heart felt like it was breaking in to a million pieces as his mind raced with what Bella had just revealed to him. How could he leave his family like that? How could he cause so much heart ache? He heard a sniffling sound from beside him.

Bella was bent over at the waist, her small body shaking as silent tears fell to the floor.

He gathered her up in his arms, rocking her back and forth.

**~*~**

Hours later, Edward woke up to hushed whispers.

"Yes Angela, I'm fine. I promise, I'll explain everything to you when I get back. Yes, the Cullens are coming to get me tomorrow. Okay, bye."

Edward sat up, rubbing his eyes. "What time is it?" he said, standing up and stretching.

"Three a.m." Bella said, walking back from the kitchen holding two bottles of water. She offered one to him, which he gladly accepted.

After chugging half the bottle, he put the cap back on it and reached for Bella's injured hand.

She hesitated for a moment before placing her hand in his.

Knowing that she was probably in some sort of pain, he led her to the kitchen where he fixed her an ice pack and got two Tylenol from the counter.

Bella graciously accepted the medicine, but when she reached for the ice-pack, Edward pulled it out of her reach.

She shot him a curious look.

"Come on," he said, grabbing her good hand and pulling her towards the bedroom, "the couch cannot be that comfortable."

When they got into the bedroom, he released her hand. Rummaging through his suitcase, he found a clean t-shirt and pair of flannel pants, which he offered to her.

She smiled and took the clothes, disappearing into the bathroom to change. When she came back out a few minutes later, Edward stifled a laugh. The shirt was hanging down practically to her knees and the pants were dragging the floor behind her. Pulling the covers back, he motioned for her to lay down. As soon as her head hit the pillow, he pulled the covers back up, tucking her in. He brought her right hand up to lay beside her and placed the ice-pack on it, making sure to lay a hand-towel down first so it wouldn't be too cold on her skin.

"So," he said, sitting back, "my... parents are coming tomorrow?" He was suddenly glad for the darkness in the room, because he was sure that his nervousness would be clear on his face.

He felt her hand stroke his arm. "They love you and are going to understand. It will be okay, Edward."

He nodded his head, standing. Leaning down, he placed a small kiss on her forehead before turning to leave the room.

"Edward?" Bella's voice was soft and timid, "Can you stay with me tonight?"

He realized it must have taken a lot for her to ask this, as her voice shook with every word. He was arguing the pros and cons of agreeing to this when one word made up his mind for him.

"Please."

Shutting the door to the bedroom, he turned back from where he'd just come. Climbing in on the other side of the bed, he stayed on top of the covers. He had no idea what would be comfortable for her. As he laid there, he felt her good hand snake over to his side of the bed, hunting for his hand. As their fingers intertwined, he closed his eyes. For the first time in a long time, sleep came quickly for Edward. He had her, his Bella, by his side. For once he didn't have to worry about her being gone as soon as he woke up, because she was there, with him, in his bed.

That night Edward dreamed of Bella. In the dream, he was playing her lullaby for her as she sat at his side, her head resting on his shoulders. Across the top of the sleek grand piano, he could make out two new figures, smiling at him from a distance. The younger one was a petite beauty. Her black hair styled short and her ice blue eyes shining with excitement as she made her way out of the room. The other, older, but still retaining a youthful glow, had long auburn hair, falling in waves around her shoulders. She gave him a proud smile, mouthing "good luck" to him before following the young one... Alice... out of the room. She must have been his mother - Esme.

As the song wound to a close, he turned to Bella, reaching in to his coat pocket. He pulled out the small box, popping it open. Bella's eyes grew wide as they darted back and forth between the box and Edward.

"One day Bella Swan, I will ask you to marry me. This is a token of that promise."

As he slid the ring on her finger she whispered in his ear, "And one day I promise to say 'yes'."

**~*~**

"Bella. Sweetheart. You need to wake up. Your... my... the Cullens are calling."

Bella rolled over, keeping her eyes shut. She knew that this was all a dream and when she woke up, in her bed in Forks, alone, it would kill her all over again. She had to hold on to this very realistic dream of him until the last possible moment.

"I'm going to answer your phone Bella. They've called several times and left several voice-mails. They're probably worried." Edward's soothing voice was like the music to her ears. The brushing of his fingers across her forehead the most therapeutic touch.

Suddenly the touches stopped and his voice faded away: she knew the dream was coming to an end and the only way to keep him was to stay asleep. So, she willed her body to give her a few more minutes. The touches and soothing voice began again. This time it was her lullaby she heard as she drifted off.

What felt like moments later, she came to. There were no touches, no voice. She knew it was over. So, with one last thought of Edward, she braced herself and opened her eyes. She _was_ alone, but she was definitely not in her room in Forks. Taking in her surroundings, she gasped in pain when she applied pressure to her right hand. Looking down, she could see a fresh ice-pack laying beside her hand, which was slightly purplish-black and had two finger braces on it.

_It wasn't a dream_, she thought to herself, doing a little mental happy dance. Reaffirming this was Edward's voice, which she could hear softly coming from the other room. She heard the opening and shutting of a door and Edward's voice got a little louder as he came closer to the bedroom.

She had woken up beside Edward plenty of times in the past without a care as to how she looked, but this was a new Edward. What if her out-of-control bedhead, rancid breath, and all-over disheveled look turned him off? There was no guarantee that this Edward would feel the same way about her as _her Edward_ had. The realization of this all but crippled Bella as she let out a gut-wrenching sob and fell back on to her pillow, the tears flowing.

Bella heard the door to the room open and shut softly. The padding of feet across the floor alerted her to someone's approach. Keeping her eyes firmly shut, Bella felt the bed shift beside her. A hand, distinctly female, smoothed the hair out of Bella's face. Peeking one eye open, she was shocked to find Esme Cullen sitting beside her. Without even thinking, she launched herself at Esme, who sparred no time in wrapping her arms around Bella and whispering hushed reassurances.

"What's wrong my sweet Bella?"

Bella pulled back to look at Esme. She could see unshed tears lingering in the corners of Esme's eyes. Eyes that once again held the promise of hope and shined brightly. It was a stark contrast to the dead emotionless eyes of the past two years.

"What can you possibly find saddening my Bella? We have our Edward back," Esme's voice broke a little when she said his name and a traitor tear rolled down her cheek. She quickly reached up and wiped it away. "I want to be strong for him," she whispered in explanation.

Bella nodded in understanding: she didn't want Edward seeing her cry either, though he had several times in the past twelve hours.

"What happens if he doesn't... love me. What if I'm not_ it_ for this new Edward?" As soon as the words left her mouth, she felt extremely selfish. Here was Esme, getting her son back after two years of thinking the worst and Bella was worried about herself.

"Bella, look at me dear," Esme's voice held nothing but understanding, giving Bella the courage to look back up at her, "Do you not think I've spent the entire morning wondering similar things? What if he doesn't like having me as a mother? What if he chooses not to be a part of this family? Despite my concerns, I can ease yours just a little. That Edward," she said, motioning to the door, "cares for you deeply. I wish you hear the reverence in voice when he talks about you. His every thought is centered on you."

The way Esme spoke gave Bella the impression that the Cullens had been here quite some time.

"How long have you been here? What time is it?" Bella asked, retracting herself from Esme's arms, standing, and stretching.

"Several hours Bella. It's eleven in the morning, we got here around eight.

"What, why didn't you wake me up? I need to be with him," the words just tumbled out. It only occurred to Bella afterward that perhaps Carlisle and Esme hadn't woken her because they wanted to spend time talking to Edward without an audience.

"You'll have plenty of time, Bella, I'm sure of it. I don't think we'll be going so long without seeing him again," Esme said, standing.

A soft knock on the door caught Bella's attention. Esme went and opened it, revealing Edward. He was leaning up against the door frame, one hand pulling on the hem of his shirt, the other raking through his mess of hair. Bella's breath caught in her throat.

"Um, yeah. Can I have a minute?" he asked awkwardly, motioning in to the room with a nod of his head.

Esme's smiled brightened as she turned to Bella, giving her a wink which said _I told you so_. She placed a hand on Edward's shoulder, giving it a soft squeeze as she walked past him back into the living room.

Edward entered the room, shutting the door behind him. It seemed like eternity that they stood there - him by the door, her by the bed - both not knowing what to do or what to say. Edward finally broke the silence, walking towards her. He reached up, threading his hand through her hair and finally resting it on the back of her neck. He applied slight pressure, causing her head to lift slightly.

"May I?"

Bella wasn't quite sure what he was asking, but she knew she could never deny him anything. She nodded her head in consent.

As his face came closer and closer to hers, she realized exactly what he was asking of her. She gasped as his lips grazed hers.

His lips moved softly against hers and she felt herself giving in to the desire that was surging through her body. When his tongue ran gently over her lower lip, she lost it completely. Her left hand trailed up his arm, her fingers finally finding purchase in the soft curls at the nape of his neck. She opened her mouth to his, their tongues mingling slowly but surely, like they'd done this a million times before.

Bella whimpered as Edward pulled away from her, pushing herself further into him in an effort to stay close. He chuckled at her attempt, wrapping an arm around her waist as he sat on the bed, pulling her down in his lap.

Bella's mind began racing with thoughts. Was that an _I love you_ kiss? Was he just giving her what he thought she wanted? Did he want it? Was it goodbye?

"Bella, look at me," he raised her chin up gently with his thumb. "I'm not going anywhere. Where you are, that's where I want to be. Do you understand that?"

His eyes held nothing but sincerity, but Bella still had a hard time wrapping her mind around what he was saying. Her insecurities must have been evident on her face, because he pulled her in close, her head resting on his shoulder. His fingers playing with the errant curls hanging around her face.

"Last night, in my dreams, I had a memory of us." He picked up her left hand, running his fingers reverently across the small ring adorning her finger. "I remembered giving you this. I was playing your song for you, Alice and Esme, well... I'm pretty sure it was Alice, I got Esme right - anyway... they were there. After I played your song, I gave you this." He twirled the ring around her finger.

Bella's eyes grew wide in shock. _He remembered. _He laughed, the look on Bella's face was priceless. "May I see it?" he asked.

Bella was unsure about what his intentions were in regards to the ring, but realized in order for this, for them, to work she had to have faith in him. For the first time since it was put on her finger, the ring came off. There was a pale ring of lighter skin where the ring had sat, a slight indentation in her skin from having it there so long.

Edward held the ring up, examining it. "I had good taste," he chuckled.

"Ah, there it is." His fingers traced the inside of the ring, where the words Bella knew by heart were permanently etched.

"_Every day of forever." _Hearing Edward speak those words made a warmth spread through Bella's body. A shock wave ran through her, intensifying the warmth, when Edward dropped to his knees in front of her.

"This might be quite unconventional, but I want to put this back on your finger with a new promise," he paused, as if waiting for her reaction.

She nodded, not knowing what else to do. She had feared for a moment he wasn't going to give it back, but it had to mean something big if this Edward still wanted her to have this ring.

"I'm not the same person as the Edward who gave you this ring originally, but I share the sentiments that Edward felt when he gave you this." Sliding the ring halfway onto her finger, he continued, "I promise that I will do everything in my power to make up the past two years to you. I know that I loved you before: and, as weird as it may seem, ever since I woke up in that hospital bed, I've loved you. Even when I didn't know who you were, I knew you were it for me. But I never realized the enormity of my love for you until you were standing in front of me, in the flesh."

He pushed the ring the rest of the way on her finger, finishing his promise, "I promise to spend every moment I can relearning every thing about you. Every quirk, every like and dislike. Every mark on your body. _Every thing _about you, I want to know."

Bella felt herself blush at his words, _every mark on your body_.

"I bet your whole body blushes like this," he said, running a hand along her cheek. His forwardness was a small reminder of who Edward used to be. He was always very direct with her, about everything.

He leaned forward, planting a small kiss on her lips before standing up. "My mother... Esme... brought you some clothes, why don't you change and come out in to the living room?"

She gave him a small smile, and walked towards the dresser, picking up the clothes.

"I'll be waiting in the living room," he said, opening the door and shutting it behind him with a soft click.

Edward took a deep breath, resting his head on the closed door. He could still _feel_ her presence through the thick wood.

"You remember her." Esme said from where she sat on the couch. It wasn't a question - it was a statement.

Edward turned to face his... parents. Even though he fully believed what Bella had told him and what Carlisle and Esme had reaffirmed for him this morning, it was still a foreign concept to him. He didn't remember having parents, so suddenly having them was... weird. Nice, but weird.

"Yes. I had a memory of her last night. You, Esme, were in it. I think Alice was too. Short black hair, blue eyes?"

Esme nodded, tears running down her face.

Edward moved from the door, going to sit beside his... mother. Having a solid memory of her made it easier for him to accept her.

"Son... Edward," Carlisle corrected himself, "I know this is all new to you and we cannot expect you to just come back with us and act as if nothing ever happened. But I want you to know we will be here for you no matter what. I think it would be best if we got you a lawyer and then dealt with this... Aro. From what you've told me, he obviously has forged documentation to prove his story. It will be difficult to discredit him without counsel. There's also the issue of your contract with the band."

Bella had just finished putting on her clothes and freshening up when she heard a loud pounding on the door to the suite. Then the door opened and there was a brief moment of silence before all hell broke loose. She flung open the door to the bed room and saw Edward standing in front of a middle aged man with dark hair and brooding eyes.

To say Edward was furious would be an understatement. He expected the room service he had ordered, but found his uncle... Aro... on the other side of the door.

"My boy, you disappeared without a word last night. You had me worried." His anger spiked at Aro's faked concern. Aro's eyes landed on Carlisle and Esme, who had moved closer to the door. "You have visitors," he said, inviting himself into the room.

Edward slammed the door behind him. "Yes, Aro," Edward's voice was seething, "These are my _parents_, but you probably knew that, didn't you?"

Aro's face was the epitome of calm. "Parents? Edward, your parents died a few years back, and this," he motioned towards the Cullens, "are most certainly _not_ Edward or my dearest Elizabeth."

Edward had opened his mouth to respond when he was stopped by Esme's voice.

"Who are you to even speak of Elizabeth? She was my best friend and when her and Ed died _eighteen_ years ago, we adopted Edward. What right do you have!?"

Bella took this moment to make her presence known, placing a calming hand on Esme's shoulder, pulling her back to the couch. She shot Aro an angry glare before turning to console Esme.

"Who is this little tart?" Aro's voice cut through the room like a knife.

Next thing Bella knew Carlisle was holding Edward back as he tried to lunge at Aro.

"_Don't even look at her! She's of no concern to you!" _Edward turned to face Bella. His eyes softened briefly before turning cold again.

"Esme, can you take her and go to your hotel room, please?" he pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. He didn't want Bella witnessing him like this. He was seconds away from exploding and the last thing he wanted was for her to experience that.

Esme nodded, wiping away her tears. "Come on Bella."

Bella was shocked. He wanted her to leave? Why? Even though a small part of her mind knew he just didn't want her to witness this, a larger part, the part that had her believing for the past two years that Edward had never loved her, thought that he was just trying to get rid of her. She shot off the couch.

"What! Edward, no!" She wrapped her arms around his waist tightly, ignoring the shooting pain in her right hand.

He placed a stiff kiss on her forehead before pushing her away from him. "Esme, please..."

Esme pulled Bella to her, walking towards the door to the suite.

Edward opened the door for them and Esme had to use all her strength to pull Bella out of the room. Edward's heart broke as he saw the look on Bella's face. Reaching out he swiped away the tears falling from her eyes.

"Please, Bella, it's better this way." He took one last look at her before shutting the door.

He turned to face Aro and noticed Carlisle was still in the room. "Carlisle, can you..." he didn't even get a chance to finish his statement.

"No Edward. I'm staying here. Someone needs to be in your corner. Now, Aro, I think we need to talk."

Bella stopped struggling, just staring at the closed door. She felt her stomach drop as the sobs took over her body.

She barely remembered walking to the elevator and taking it up to the floor where the Cullens were staying. She didn't recall walking to the room.

All she knew was that as soon as the door opened, she collapsed into Alice's waiting arms.

**

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End Notes: **Whew, we got quite a bit of ground covered in that chapter. I'm not used to writing chapters that long. lol. Anyways, hope you were able to trudge through without much confusion. Also, I did leave out some big chunks of the story, but the chapter was getting insanely long and this is supposed to be a mini-story. I can't add to this story until after the contest is over, but as soon as voting has been completed and a winner declared, I fully intend on posting out-takes as a separate story. So, if you're interested in seeing what Edward talked about with his parents or anything else I leave out, put me on author alert.

Because "New Moon" is coming out next Friday night (!!!) and I have plans to not only go to the midnight showing but two showings on Friday night as well, I'm hoping to post the next chapter sometime on Thursday - probably late afternoon/early evening.


	4. Black Holes

**Lyrical Melodrama Story Contest**

**Name of story: **Bottled Stars and Black Holes**  
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**Pen name: **BritM

**Song story is inspired by: **"27"**  
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**Artist: **Fall Out Boy**  
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**Category: **Newbie

**Main Pairing: **Edward & Bella

**POV: **3rd person

This story is an entry for the Lyrical Melodrama Story contest. To read the rest of the entries or see the submission rules go to **www(dot)thewriterscoffeeshop(dot)com** Any questions concerning the contest can be directed to c**ompetitions(at)thewriterscoffeeshop(dot)com** or through the website.

**DISCLAIMER:** Anything you recognize belongs to its respective owner(s). Anything original is mine :)

**AUTHOR'S NOTE: ****I'm so sorry that this took so long to get to you. For those of you who didn't read the a/n I posted this past Friday evening, I essentially lost over half of the chapter b/c of some weird glitch in Google Docs. I had to completely re-write that half of the chapter. I'm still not 100% satisfied with what the re-written portion, but there's nothing I can do to get back what was lost. I wanted to get this chapter to you as soon as possible, so Megsly, my beta, hasn't done her magic, so to speak. Forgive any errors. Chapter 5, the final chapter, will be out LATE Friday evening. **

**A huge thanks to the Writer's Coffee Shop, who are sponsoring this contest. They've been very understanding of my predicament and allowed me to post this chapter late. Chapter 5 will also be a little late in posting, but it WILL be up by Sunday evening. Voting for the contest begins Monday! So, go check out the other entries!  
**

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**Chapter 4 - Black Holes**

**Chapter 4 - Black Holes**

As soon as the door closed, Edward could feel his heart breaking. He had just shut out the most important person in his life and he felt terrible for it. But, at the same time, he didn't want her present for what was about to go down. He never wanted her to see him lose it like he was about to. He knew that one day he would tell her about the life Aro made up for him, but he wanted to get some things straight himself before involving anyone else. Anyone, that is, except Carlisle, who made it clear he wasn't going anywhere.

"Aro, Edward." Carlisle said, motioning towards the living room.

Edward stormed past Aro, nearly knocking him over. Carlisle shot him a look.

"Sorry," Edward muttered under his breath, though knocking Aro on his ass was just the beginning of what Edward wanted to do.

Edward sat stiffly on the couch, Carlisle joining him. Aro sat across from them on the love seat. The same love seat where Bella had sat last night. _Bella. I have to get through this for her,_ Edward thought. He knew losing his temper would do nothing but hurt him in the long run. So, taking a deep breath, he steeled himself for what was to come. He straightened his back and looked directly at Aro.

"Why? Why would you lie to me about my past? Why would you keep my family from me?"

A smug smile played across Aro's face and Edward knew he wasn't going to admit to any wrong-doing.

"My boy, I'm sure I have no idea what you are talking about. And as for family, I am your family Edward."

Edward could feel the rage building up inside him and was about to combust when he felt Carlisle's hand on his shoulder, grounding him.

"I beg your pardon, Aro, but I do believe that perhaps there has been some confusion. Earlier you mentioned Elizabeth and Edward Sr. My wife and Elizabeth grew up together and when the Masens died, it was requested in their will we get custody of Edward. We adopted him when he was two and half years old. I have all the papers here," Carlisle tapped a brown accordion folder on the table that Edward's name written across it. "It has copies of Edward and Elizabeth Masen's will as well as the adoption papers.

Aro sat, still as stone, for a few moments before he spoke.

"Mr. Cullen, was it? My name is Aro Volturi. Elizabeth was my great-niece. May I speak with you in private, please?" His voice remained static, not betraying a shred of emotion.

"With all respect, no. Anything that you or I have to say can, and should, be said in front of Edward. This is his life, his past, that we are discussing," Edward was amazed at the level of calm Carlisle was able to maintain.

A brief flash of anger and disbelief crossed Aro's features before the emotionless mask was back in place.

"Yes, well then. As for your claims, they are impossible. When Edward and Elizabeth died, Edward was fifteen years old. He lived with me in Chicago up until two years ago when he moved here to L.A. to pursue a musical career."

Edward clenched his fist at his side, he had seen Carlisle's records. He had seen the Masens' death certificates dated from shortly after his second birthday. He saw the will where his parents gave guardianship of him to the Cullens. He had seen the adoption papers. He was beyond infuriated that Aro would continue this charade. It was rare for Edward to completely lose his cool, but in that moment, with the smugness shining on Aro's face, he did lose it.

He shot up off the couch, stalking over to where Aro was seated, bringing his face dangerously close to the older man's.

"How dare you make up such lies! There is proof," he reached behind him and snatched the folder up off the coffee table, riffling through it until he found what he was looking for.

"My adoption certificate, right here." He thrust the paper in Aro's face. Aro made no move to even look at the piece of paper, instead keeping his cold, calculating eyes fixed on Edward.

"So quick to believe these people Edward, people you don't even remember. Who's to say they aren't the ones lying. After all, if you really are who they claim, why didn't they come looking for you sooner?"

Edward was about to respond when he felt himself being pulled back towards the couch.

Carlisle pushed him down gently and resumed his place next to Edward. "Son, allow me."

Turning to Aro, Carlisle spoke.

"First of all, Edward left our home on his own accord. As he was a legal adult at the time, we could not file a missing persons report immediately. However, a friend of ours, the Chief-of-Police for our town, did give Edward's car information to neighboring precincts as far down as Portland. Fifteen days after he left, the car was found off the side of the road about a hundred miles south of Forks, our home. It had apparently gone over the safety railing. The skid marks indicated he was heading back towards Forks when the accident took place. There was no body inside the car, though there was blood all over the interior. We searched the entire area and checked every hospital within a hundred miles, but there was no record of anyone matching Edward's description."

Carlisle took a deep, much needed breath. "So, as you can see, Aro, we never gave up the search for _our son_."

If Aro was feeling anything, he was doing a great job of hiding it. He brought his hand up to his face, tapping his fingers together.

"That's a very... heart-wrenching... story you have there Carlisle. I am sorry for your lose, but the fact remains .lying_._"

For a few moments, there was dead silence in the room. Aro and Carlisle were in an apparent stare-off with each other. Edward was trying to reconcile the kind and giving Aro that had helped him through the time after his accident with the cold, manipulative one before him now. There was no question in Edward's mind who he believed. While it was easy enough to forge documents, which he did not believe the Cullens had done, it was not so easy to forge years' worth of pictures. After he had spoken to Esme and Carlisle earlier, Esme had pulled a smaller folder out of the larger one. It contained 18 years worth of pictures, and he was in every single one of them.

In the first photo, a woman, in a hospital gown, had dark brown hair with bronze accents. A few stray curls were framing her face as gazed lovingly at the baby cradled in her arms. Beside her a man, with medium brown hair and familiar facial features. Edward was the baby, the young couple his biological parents. In the second photo, the same baby, though a little older now. Bronze curls adorning his head. The same young couple alongside another couple with a baby- Carlisle and Esme. Esme told Edward that their baby had died from pneumonia weeks after this picture had been taken. Another photo, this time a few years later. The bronze haired boy stood beside two other children - a boy with brown curls and a girl with long sleek, black hair. The writing on the back said _Edward, Alice, and Emmett - 5 years old._

There were twenty pictures. One for every year of his life. The last three were all taken on the same day in his eighteenth year.

The first of the three - a graduation picture. There were six people in the photograph. He knew instinctively who four of them were. There was Edward and Bella in the middle of the photograph. Their arms were around each other and they were gazing into each others' eyes. To the left of them a girl with short black hair - _Alice_ who was looking at the boy beside her with a look of annoyance, her fingers straightening his tie. To his and Bella's right, another couple. The blond haired girl was tall and statuesque; the giant beside her was obviously smitten. He had a huge grin on his face. _Emmett._

The second of the three - a candid shot. Edward and Bella at the piano. He was holding a ring between his thumb and forefinger, looking at her expectantly. Tears were streaming down her face, which held equal parts shock and joy. This photograph was the one that sealed his decision.

The last of the three - another candid. It appeared to have been taken at a gathering of sorts. In the background of the photo, three other people could be seen. There was a coffee table littered with junk food and sodas. A television playing a movie - the scene forever frozen in the photograph. And, in the forefront of the photo - Bella and Edward. Her left hand placed lovingly over his heart, his ring glistening on her finger. Their lips were millimeters from each other, their eyes caught in the moment before they closed. Edward had felt his heart swell at the love which seemed to radiate from the photo. He seemed so happy in it.

As he had placed the photos back into the envelope, the last photo fell, face down, onto the carpet. The words on the back caught his eye. The writing was messy, the ink smeared with what looked like tear drops. His heart stop beating - _Edward and me. An hour before he left._

Edward pulled himself own mind and he looked towards Aro once more. There was still no change in Aro's demeanor. His eyes were as cold as ever, no sign of remorse in them. Edward kept staring, hoping that he would catch a glimmer of regret cross Aro's face. But, there was nothing.

Aro stood, his hands flattening out the front of his coat. "How quickly you change alliances Edward. Turning on your true family for these people."

Both Edward and Carlisle stood.

"I think it's time for you to go Aro," Edward hissed through his teeth, not knowing how much longer he could hold in the rage that was boiling beneath his skin.

"Yes, well, Carlisle, I believe that I will have my attorney get in touch with yours. It seems there are some matters that need to be worked out - I too have documents that prove my story." Aro walked to the door and opened it. His hand briefly paused on the door handle. "Oh and Edward, despite who you choose to believe, you have contractual obligations to my my management group. There is a concert in Los Angeles three days from now that you have to be at. You not showing up would be extremely unwise." Giving a curt nod, he shut the door behind him.

Edward shut his eyes, knowing that he couldn't contain himself anymore. His fists opened and shut at his side. He didn't want Carlisle seeing what was about to happen.

"Carlisle, I would like to be left alone now."

He barely felt Carlisle's hand on his shoulder before he flinched away.

"Edward, I'm not sure that's a wise decision."

"Please. I need some time to think. Alone."

He kept his eyes shut until he heard the door open and close. As soon as his eyes opened, the rage expelled itself from his system in the only way it knew how. Anything that he eyes landed on was thrown across the room. Glasses were breaking, papers were flying. Screams of frustration were escaping from his throat. Five minutes later, exhausted and hoarse, he sat on the cushion-less sofa. Amidst the destruction, something caught his eye.

Leaning down, he picked up the bent photograph. Opening it up he realized it was not one of the twenty he had seen earlier. There was a Christmas tree in the background, wrapping paper flung around haphazardly. The girl in the photo was almost unrecognizable to him. It was Bella. She was smiling at the camera, but it didn't reach her eyes. Her eyes... they looked dead. He saw nothing but pain and suffering written across her beautiful face. The photo was marked _Christmas 2005_. 2005 was the year of his accident. This was the Cullen's first Christmas after his disappearance.

He felt all traces of his rage leave his body. Ever since waking up from the hospital, he'd had bouts of anger. Though none as intense as the one he'd just had. He knew he had to get a handle on things if not for his sake, then for _her_ sake. She didn't deserve someone who couldn't control themselves. He needed help. Taking one last look at the photograph, he stood, grabbing his cell phone and jacket and walked out the door.

**~*~**

As Bella came to, she could hear multiple voices whispering around her.

"So he doesn't remember any of us?" _Alice. _

"He has been having flashes of memories. He sees faces in his mind, but it's likely if Bella hadn't found him he'd never have made the connection. It's part of the condition, he needed something to jog his memory. Something to help him make sense." _Carlisle.  
_  
"And Bella did that for him." _Rosalie._

At the sound of her name, Bella opened her eyes; blinking rapidly as the light filled her eyes.

"Yes. It would seem that she's been in his mind since he woke up." _Esme. _"Oh, speaking of waking up..."

"Bella! Oh, I was so scared when you just collapsed into the room." Alice's voice resembled a siren blaring in Bella's mind.

She slammed her eyes shut and tried to block out the sound.

"Alice, can you _please_ lower your voice?" Bella managed to ask.

"Ooops! Sorry 'bout that. Got a little excited," Alice whispered.

Bella once again opened her eyes only to find Alice hovering right above her. Alice's eyes were sparkling and seemed more blue than Bella could ever remember them being.

Bella pulled her body up, using her left elbow as leverage as her right arm had been put into a sling and was now draped across her torso. She took a quick glance around the room and noted that every Cullen family member, including significant others, were all gathered in the hotel room. They were all sitting around the living room area leaned it, as if waiting for her to say something. Not knowing exactly what to say, Bella just sat there, looking between all of them.

"Looking hot there B. I'm loving the beat up look. What happened to your arm?" Everyone let out a laugh and the whole aura of the room seemed to relax. Leave it to Emmett to break the ice in the most tactful way possible.

Bella looked down at her arm and then up at Carlisle. "Why is it in a sling?"

Carlisle moved from his position next to Esme and came to sit by Bella on the couch. He leaned over towards Bella, readjusting the sling. "I just thought it would be easier for you if it was up and out of the way." He leaned closer to her, until his mouth was right next to his ear, "Nice punch by the way, Edward's got quite the shiner on his face."

Bella felt the blush in her face as she recounted what she had done to Edward. Oddly enough, she didn't recall seeing any mark on his face last night or that morning.

"I wanna know what happened," Emmett whined, which earned him a pop on the head from Rosalie.

"Um..." Bella was unsure how much any of them knew. "What exactly have you told them?" she asked Carlisle.

"They know the basics, and Esme and I know what Edward told us, but there's still some blank spots that only you can fill us in on."

"Yeah, like what happened to your..." another smack from Rosalie silenced Emmett.

Bella let out a little laugh. "Someone's impatient. I uh... might have punched Edward when I came face-to-face with him." Bella was slightly embarrassed at her revelation. She'd never been much of one for lashing out physically when upset.

"Haha! That's my girl!" Emmett shouted, at the same time that Alice asked, "Why'd you do that?" Once again, the tension in the air seemed to lift.

"Well, I might have not let him have a word in edge-wise and just let him have it for letting us believe he was... well, dead." The room got eerily quiet with Bella's last word. It was something that none of the Cullen's had brought up yet, and the tension settled back on the room like a thick blanket.

"Oh, I need to call and make cancellations," Esme quickly jumped out of her seat, pulling out her cell phone. She walked into another room and shut the door behind her. Carlisle stood as well.

"Bella, I need to help her," he motioned towards the door, "Why don't you fill the others in a little bit and we'll be out in a moment."

Bella agreed, turning to face her friends.

"What do you want to know?" she asked.

"Everything Bella! How did you know it was him? What's he like?" Alice was practically vibrating with excitement. Jasper put an arm around her and immediately she calmed down.

"I think it would be easier for Bella if she had to tell the whole story only once," Jasper said, giving Bella a wink.

"Thank you," Bella mouthed to him.

"But there is one thing I want to know, if you don't mind," Jasper continued.

"Yeah, whatever you want to know."

"How different is he? I mean, Carlisle said his personality was different, but didn't really go into detail much. What should we expect if... when... we meet him?"

Bella thought on this for a moment. It was true - this new Edward was different than _her_ Edward. But there were traces of the old Edward to be found.

"Well, he is definitely different in some ways. But, at the same time, he's _Edward_. His essence is there," Bella stopped for a moment, not knowing if this was a satisfactory answer.

Everyone was staring at her in rapt attention, she took this as a cue to continue.

"He's much more calm and laid back. And, as much as I hate to say this, he's nowhere near as selfish as he used to be."

Rosalie gave her a questioning look, "Why would you hate to say that? I don't know abut the rest of you, but that is one thing I'll be glad to see gone."

Bella shook her head, "That's not what I meant. I just... I hate to admit it, but it was one of the things about him before that I couldn't stand. He took everything personally and if he wasn't happy, then the rest of us weren't either. I'm glad to see that character flaw disappear as well."

Rosalie nodded her head in understanding. "So, what's he like now? Handing out those big bucks he's sure to be making to those less fortunate?"

"It's hard to say. I mean, it's only been a day since... since I met him again. I don't know for sure, but he definitely seems more aware of how his actions affect others."

"How do mean?" Rosalie was nothing if not blunt and persistent.

"Well, when I was telling him about... him, and I recounted the night he left, he looked genuinely upset that he had caused so much pain. It was just obvious that he was harboring tremendous guilt that his past self could have done something like that to his family."

"I noticed the same thing." Esme's voice quietly echoed through out the room. All sets of eyes turning to where she was leaning against the door frame to the bedroom.

"He asked Carlisle and myself about that night. He had Bella's recollection of events, but wanted ours since we were the last ones to see him. So, as hard as it was... we told him. I didn't hold anything back either. I told him every word he said, every feeling that ran through me. He was honest to God shocked when I told him how he left me there, crying in the foyer. I've never seen such self-loathing before. He apologized profusely, saying over and over again how he didn't understand what could have made him do that." Esme finished, wiping away a few stray tears.

Carlisle appeared at the doorway, guiding Esme back into the room with one hand on the small of her back.

They resumed their previous positions on the love seat across from Bella.

"Okay Bella, why don't you tell us about yesterday. How did you find him?" Carlisle asked.

"It was the music..."

**~*~**

The room was coated in an uncomfortable silence. Six pairs of eye bearing down on Bella's, which were sealed shut. She couldn't stand to look at any of them. Couldn't stand to see the disappointment in her actions written across their faces. Because, deep inside, she knew she hadn't acted appropriately. She should have called them the second her eyes met his across the darkened arena. She had let them suffer for longer than necessary.

She heard a through clear from somewhere in the room and the couch sink down as someone sat beside her. She braced herself for what was to come. Surely, they would all be furious at her. She was furious at herself. She had let her emotions control her actions.

"Bella? Are you alright dear?" Esme's voice floated softly into Bella's ears, lovingly concerned and not harsh or clip as Bella had anticipated.

"Sweetheart, open you eyes."

As childish as it was, Bella shook her head furiously.

"I can't," she whispered through clenched teeth.

"Why not? You don't think we're mad at you, do you?"

The chuckles of six people rang out through the room, crushing the silence that had reigned moments before. This shocked Bella and her eyes shot open against her will to find all of the Cullens stiffling back laughter.

"I don't see what's so funny," Bella mumbled, more to herself than them, but of course they all heard her.

"Bella. Really?" Alice said, making her way over to the couch where she sat on Bella's other side. "What reason do you have to think we'd be mad at you? If anything we should all be falling to our knees thanking you. If you hadn't found him last night we may have never found him."

Esme's hand patted Bella's knee, "She's right. We owe you so much."

All of the Cullen's heads nodded at Esme's words.

"Speaking of Edward, where is he? I wanna see my bro!"

Carlisle shot Emmett a warning look, "Remember what I told you? We can't overwhelm him. He needs to be given a chance to remember on his own."

Bella's interest was piqued with Carlisle's words. She knew she'd caught the tail-end of discussion on Edward's condition when she'd woken up earlier, but hadn't yet had time to ask about it.

"What exactly is wrong with him, Carlisle?" she asked.

"Since the rest of you have heard this already, why don't you run out and get us lunch. There's a deli down the street that's pretty good." When no one made a move to get up Esme stood up, clapping her hands together.

"Now! All of you. Out." She demanded.

Alice, Jasper, Emmett, and Rosalie all stood, looking rather forlorn at being ejected from the room, but eventually did leave with promises to be back soon with food.

Carlisle and Esme joined Bella on the couch, one on either side of her.

"What exactly did you hear as you were waking up?" Carlisle asked. "So I know how much I need to tell you."

Bella thought back, her thoughts a bit hazy.

"Not much really. Just something about him needing something to jog his memory. Sorry."

Carlisle patted her knee, "Nothing to be sorry about. I'll go in to a bit more detail with you than I did with the others.

Bella nodded and smiled appreciatively.

"From what I can guess, Edward has post-traumatic retrograde amnesia."

Carlisle must have noticed the look of pure confusion on Bella's face because he quickly elaborated.

"In basic terms, he lost all memories from before and during the accident, hence the retrograde, more than likely due to a head injury he sustained during his accident, hence the post-traumatic. Are you following me so far?" Carlisle asked, giving Bella a moment to mull this over.

As soon as she was sure she understood, she nodded and Carlisle continued.

"It is likely that Edward has had memories of his time before the accident, but was not able to make sense of them because he had no one to verify them with. I believe what he told me about him seeing you in his dreams is an example of this. Until he saw you in person, he had no way to know that his memory of you was real and not just imaginary.

Amnesia is quite often transient, meaning that Edward will more than likely remember events, people and places from before the accident. But there is no cure Bella and it's quite likely that he'll never recall all of his memories. But like you heard me tell the others, exposing him to things from his past will help jog his memory."

Bella nodded, taking a moment to work through everything Carlisle had just said. When she was confident she understood, she turned to Carlisle.

"So if we need to "jog his memory", shouldn't we let the others see him?"

Carlisle smiled before answering, "In time Bella. He can overwhelmed quite easily. If we all came in the room at once bombarding him with memories, it's likely he'd close down. It's best to do this over time, not all at once. Though, I do have a question for you now that I think about it. He mentioned to Esme having a new memory last night. Can you tell us what it was?"

Bella blushed as Edward's words reverberated in her mind. _I promise to spend every moment I can relearning every thing about you. Every quirk, every like and dislike. Every mark on your body. Every thing about you, I want to know._

"He remembered giving me the promise ring. He remembered seeing Esme and Alice hoovering around the corner, remembered playing my lullaby," Bella stopped for a moment as Esme reached for a tissue, tears running down her face.

"Please continue," Esme said.

"He asked if he could see the ring. I hadn't mentioned the engraving to him, but it was like he knew it was there. Why do you ask?"

Carlisle seemed to be thinking over something in his mind before answering.

"Retrograde amnesia is often graded. It essentially means that Edward should have no problem recalling distant memories, things that happened well before the accident. But it's rare for people with retrograde to remember anything leading up to the accident. It's the reason Edward can't remember leaving the way he did. Considering that he gave you that ring only hours before he left, I'm shocked he remembered giving it to you at all, much less the extent to which he remembered it."

Bella couldn't help but feel elated that Edward had remembered that event, especially considering that the probability of him remembering anything from that day was small.

Esme let out a small sigh, causing both Bella and Carlisle to turn to her. She had a small smile plastered on her face.

"I'm glad he doesn't remember leaving the way he did. You couldn't see the pain and guilt on his face just from us recalling it to him. I don't want to know what he'd be like if he ever remembered it on his own."

Bella and Carlisle nodded in agreement.

The three of them sat in silence, each in deep thought, until the doors burst open and Emmett rushed in, followed by Rosalie and Jasper.

"Where's Alice?" Esme inquired.

Emmett's excitement was barely containable as his spoke, "We passed Edward in the lobby."

Carlisle stood and frowned towards Emmett, "I hope you didn't do anything drastic Emmett."

"No prob pop," Emmett said clapping a hand on Carlisle's shoulder, "Just walked right past him and gave him a big smile. We got to the elevator and the door were closing when his hand shot into it. He asked to speak to Alice and wanted me to send pipsqueak there down to his room after she eats."

Esme's eyes filled with tears once again, "He's with Alice?"

Rosalie walked over, enveloping Esme in a hug, "Yeah, he seemed to remember her.

While all the Cullens were mulling over Edward's remembrance of Alice, Bella decided to slip away and head down to his room. She was able to make it out of the room without anyone noticing - or so she thought.

As she reached the elevators and pushed the "down" button, she heard a voice from behind her.

"If you're going to sneak out on us, Bella, at least take yours and Edward's lunches with you."

Bella turned to find a smiling Esme holding out a bag.

Bella felt a blush creeping up her face at having been caught.

"Thanks," she said quietly, reaching for the bag.

At that moment, the elevator doors opened to reveal a beaming Alice, her blue eyes overflowing with tears.

"Oh, Bella. Thank you so much for bringing my brother back to us," Alice exclaimed, throwing her arms around Bella.

"Alice, my arm," Bella managed to squeak out.

Alice immediately released Bella, "Sorry."

Bella shook her head, "It's nothing, really."

"Okay, well, I told him I'd send you down to the room when I got back, so, shoo!" Alice said, pushing Bella playfully into the elevator.

She smiled and raised her good hand, which was clutching the lunch bag, in a wave as the elevator doors closed.

Leaning against the elevator walls as it descended, Bella couldn't help but smile at the turn of events the last 24 hours had resulted in. The elevator dinged and the doors opened, bringing Bella out of her reverie. She clutched the lunch bag to her chest and walked towards Edward's room.  
As she approached she could hear voices behind the closed doors, though she wasn't able to distinguish any of them. Alice hadn't mentioned any visitors, but didn't think Edward would have told Alice to send her down if he didn't want to be interrupted. She raised her hand to the door and knocked.

The voices stopped immediately and Bella heard a door shut from somewhere inside the room. She waited a few moments before raising her hand to knock again.

Before her hand could make contact with the door, it was flung open and Bella gasped at who stood before her.

A petite blond with ice blue eyes and striking features stood before Bella. Even in her towering heels the girl only managed to come just to eye-level with Bella. Her blond hair was piled high on her head in an elegant twist. She was angelic looking. But the comparisons to angels stopped as soon as her mouth opened.

Her head lolled to one side. "Can I help you?" she all but sneered at Bella - her voice saccharine sweet.

Bella must have had an extremely confused look on her voice, because the girl raised her hand, waving in front of Bella's face.

"_Hello!? _Anyone in there? Do you need something?"

Bella shook her head hard, clearing her head.

"Um, yeah, I'm here to see Edward?" Bella said, though it came out more as a question.

"Oh, a fan girl. How sweet," the blond hissed through her teeth. "I'm sorry sweetie. Edward's busy right now and doesn't have time for fans."

"I'm not a fan. I mean I am, but... Look, Edward asked me to come down here to his room. And who are you?"

A sly smile overtook the girl's face, showcasing perfectly straight, snow white teeth.

"I'm Jane - Edward's girlfriend."

_Girlfriend_. Edward has most definitely not made any mention of a girlfriend during any of there thoughts. And the more Bella thought about it, she realized Edward had actually avoided mentioning really anything about himself since the accident. But, she was certain that if he had a girlfriend he would have mentioned it. And he wouldn't have given her ring back to her with more promises, would he?

"If you're quite done, I have a date with Edward. In the shower."

Jane's voice, now icily cold, broke through Bella's thoughts.

Bella fixed her gaze on this _Jane_ girl. "You'll tell him I stopped by?" Bella questioned, even though she was fairly certain Jane would do nothing of the sort.

"Of course. Bye bye now." The door slammed in Bella's face.

She stood there, stiff as board, for what felt like eternity. Her fingers clenched around the lunch bag that was still in her hand. Her mind was racing with a million thoughts and she thought she would collapse under their weight. Finally, her fingers unclenched, the lunch bag dropping to the floor. Not bothering to pick it back up, Bella turned and walked back to the elevator.

She wasn't sad. In fact, she was surprised when Edward hadn't mentioned any girlfriend last night. With his good looks and personality, she felt confident he probably had dated since his accident - especially if he didn't remember ever having been with her in the first place.

She was _livid_. She was mad at Edward for sending his girlfriend to answer the door after requesting Alice send her down. She was mad at Alice for sending her down there in the first place. Surely, Alice must have known there was someone else in Edward's room when she left. Had she sent Bella down there knowing what she'd find?

The elevator opened on the Cullens' floor. Bella's feet took her swiftly to the hotel room, where she let herself in.

"Bella!" Alice exclaimed, jumping up from the couch.

She stopped herself mere feet in front of Bella, after having noticed the death glare on Bella's face.

"What's wrong Bella?" she asked. She sounded genuinely concerned.

"Please tell me that you didn't know Edward's _girlfriend_ was in his room before you sent me down there."

**~*~**

Edward sighed, running his fingers through his hair in frustration.

"There's nothing you can do..." Edward took a quick glance at the receptionist's name tag, "Gianna?" He purposefully mustered every bit of charm he had to say her name.

Gianna's eyes closed briefly before reopening.

"I'm sure there's something I can, Mr. Cullen. When is it you would like to check out?" Her long fingers stretched towards his as they laid across the marble counter-top.

As her fingers brushed over his, he had to use every bit of restraint not to jerk his hand back. If a little bit of finger brushing is what it took for the receptionist to check him out early without alerting Aro, then so be it.

"As soon as possible. Today," he chocked out.

Her fingers pulled back away from his, clicking over the keys. "Okay, _Edward. _You have until 5 o'clock this evening to return your card key to the front desk."  
_  
_His name rolling off of Bella's lips sounded seductive even when she was screaming at him. Coming off of Gianna's lips, as seductive as she might think she was being, it sounded lewd.

"Thank you, Gianna." Edward said, pushing off the reception counter and making his way to the elevators as quickly as possible.

Ascending to his floor, Edward approached his room and immediately noticed the bag haphazardly laying in front of it. Opening it, he found two sub sandwiches. He was curious as to why they were in front of the door, but simply shrugged it off.

Swiping his card key, he flung the door open and heard a loud gasp.

He looked up and immediately felt his rage begin to rise again.

"Jane, Heidi. What the_ hell_ are you doing in my room?"

Jane stood up straight from where she had been leaning over the coffee table. Heidi mimicked her actions.

Sneaking a look at Jane out of the corner of her eye, Heidi began to move towards the door.

"I'm just going to leave you two alone now."

She had almost made it past Edward when his hand shot out and caught her by the elbow. He yanked her purse off her shoulder, dumping it upside down.

Amongst the makeup, credit cards, and receipts that were littering his floor were his pictures and some of the documents Carlisle and Esme had brought. He lifted his gaze to Heidi's and then to Jane's.

His voice was calm, disguising the anger just begging to be let out.

"Would either of you care to tell me why you are in my room, stealing my things?"

Heidi chose that moment to bolt out the door, leaving her belongings behind her. Edward didn't bother to go after her because he knew there was no way she had anything else on her. Her short, almost barely there dress was barely holding her in. He couldn't fathom her being able to hide anything in it.

Jane's movements caused Edward to snap his head back towards her. He slammed the door forcefully, locking the door behind him. He began walking towards her slowly.

"Jane. I'm going to ask you one more time. Why the hell are you here? I know I didn't give you a key, so who did?"

Jane turned her head to the side, refusing to meet Edward's eyes.

"I don't answer to you," she spat, though the shaking of her voice betrayed her attempts at sounding snarky.

Edward took a deep breath and centered his thoughts. Something that his counselor had told him to do repeatedly.

"Jane," Edward said, as calmly as he could, "I'd like for you to leave my room. Now. And tell your father that my attorney will contact him regarding my contract... as well as some other issues."

Jane moved to pick up her bag, but Edward's hand shot out. "Leave it," he said.

"Fine. But you're going to regret this Edward Masen. No one messes with the Volturi and gets away with it."

She sauntered off towards the door.

"Cullen," Edward said, turning to face her retreating form.

She looked back over her shoulder at him, "Pardon?"

"My name is Edward Cullen."

A smirk crossed her face. "Fine. Edward Cullen. By the way, some mousy girl came by early looking for you. I might have told her that you didn't have time for groupies and that your interests lied elsewhere."

Before he could stop himself, Edward had stalked towards Jane, who had backed up until she hit the wall. Putting one arm on either side of her head, Edward cut off her escape route. The fear was evident in Jane's eyes.

"Let me get one thing perfectly clear _Jane_. I have _never_ been interested in you. You are _nothing _to me. That girl is no groupie. She is perhaps the most selfless, caring, understanding individual I've ever met. You'd do well to take a lesson from her in how real ladies act. Now Get. The. Hell. OUT!"

Jane bolted the moment his arms fell, not bothering with the elevator, but instead bolting through the doors to the stairwell.

Edward had no idea what Jane might have said to Bella, but knew he would have some sort of damage control to do. Not wanting to leave anything important in the room, lest Jane, or worse, Aro, return, Edward quickly gathered everything the Cullens had brought with them back into the folder. As he was reaching into Jane's purse to gather the documents she had carelessly shoved into the bag, a phone rang.

Edward knew it wasn't his phone, because A) his phone was in his pocket and B) he would never be caught dead with the girlie pop music ring tone that was blaring from the depths of the bag.

His fingers grazed the phone, which had by now gone silent. As he pulled his hand away to continue collecting his stuff, the phone rang chimed, signaling a voice mail. Edward's curiosity got the better of him and he pulled the phone out.

_Ms. Jane, this is J. Jenks. I have obtained the documentation that your father requested. As requested, I am sending a confirmation email to you as well. Regards._

Edward crinkled his forehead in confusion. He had no idea who J. Jenks was or why he would be contacting Jane instead of Aro. Just as he was about to put Jane's phone back into her bag, the phone chimed again, this time with an e-mail. Edward's curiosity once again getting the best of him. The e-mail was from J. Jenks.

_Ms. Jane,_

_Usually I prefer to meet with my clients in person to confirm correct information on documents. However, your father has assured me this e-mail is secure. I do hope one day I will have the pleasure to speak to father personally. Attached are the documents I've forged for one Edward A. Masen. I've also attached the official documentation I've found on Edward A. Cullen._

_Regards,_

_J. Jenks_

Edward opened the attachments: one was a birth certificate, one a death certificate for Edward Sr. and Elizabeth Masen and the last was the will of Edward and Elizabeth Masen.

Edward closed his eyes, inhaling deeply, before pocketing Jane's cell phone. He had suspected the documents Jenks had spoken of in the email were in regards to him, but this was confirmation. Confirmation that Aro had in fact been lying to him all along.

He took a quick glance around the room, but immediately realized that he wanted nothing that reminded him of the lie his life had been for the past two years. Leaving both the credit card and cell phone Aro had given him on the coffee table, Edward took one last look around the room before closing the door on that part of his life.

**~*~**

_Knock, knock, knock. _

From inside the bathroom, Bella could hear the deep knocks on the hotel room door. She suspected it was Edward, but truthfully had no desire to see him - the incident with Jane, and the with Alice, still fresh on her mind.

Alice had assured Bella that she left Edward at the front desk, where he was trying to check out with out the receptionist alerting Aro. Apparently he had paid her a hefty sum of money earlier in the day to keep tabs on Edward.

Bella believed Alice, but she couldn't get past Edward's commission of facts regarding his girlfriend.

"Bella?" Esme's voice filtered through the thick door. "Edward's here and I think you'd be interested in what he has to say."

Bella glanced at the door, noticing she had never locked it behind her. She briefly considered leaning over and locking it, but knew that Esme would never just barge in. The door flew open.

But, Rosalie would.

"Bella, knock it off, will you," Rosalie said, as she grabbed a wash cloth and wet it.

She grabbed Bella's chin and tilted her head up, wiping her tear-stained face gently.

"Rose, I really don't want to see him. Please don't..."

"_Bella_," Rosalie said, her voice raising a few octaves, "You are going to want hear what he has to say. Now, pull yourself together and get out there. You have one minute before I come back in here and drag you out there." Rosalie shut the door behind her leaving Bella to her thoughts.

While she wanted to walk out the door and not even acknowledge him, on some baser level she knew that she should allow Edward to say his peace on the matter.

Pressing the warm wash cloth to her face for a few moments, she inhaled deeply; mentally preparing herself for more heart fail.

Checking herself once over in the mirror, she realized nothing she could do would comletely get rid of the red tear streaks that marred her face. Taking one more deep breath, she opened the bathroom door. Seven pairs of eyes immediately turned to her.

Edward stood from where he sat on the couch.

"May I speak to you, please? I believe there has been some misunderstanding and I want to explain."

Bella pulled her bottom lip between her teeth. She paused more for effect than anything; for she knew whatever he asked she would give him. Within reason, of course.

"Yes. But, I don't want an audience for this." Her eyes skimmed the room quickly only to find the Cullens already dispersing.

"We'll be in the next room, Bella," Carlisle said, giving her a small smile. Placing a hand on Edward's shoulder he said, "And I'll take care of that problem you brought to my attention."

As soon as the door to the bedroom was shut, Bella crossed the room and sat on one of the chairs. Edward sat in the one beside her.

"I'm just going to get straight to the point, there's no need to flit around this. Despite what she told you, Jane is _not_ my girlfriend: she's never been."

Edward's eyes bore no sign of treachery. His voice didn't waver. He sounded... _honest. _

Bella felt her heart swell with joy, but needed to get the full story.

"But you told Alice to send me down and when I got there, she was there. She said you were in the shower."

"Bella, I did tel Alice to send you. However, I was down at the front desk when you showed up to my room. Jane and her friend Heidi were in my room trying to steal the documents Carlisle left there."

Bella kept her eyes trained on her lap where her hands were nervously intertwining.

"How do you know Jane?" Bella asked.

She didn't need to look up to know that Edward had moved from his chair and was now in front of her. His hands reached out and stilled hers. The electricity that ran between them was enough to calm her. She looked up into his eyes.

"Jane is Aro's daughter. For lack of a better word, she's a groupie." He chuckled a bit at his last remark.

Cupping her face in his palm, his eyes seemed to be begging for her forgiveness.

"I'm so sorry that I left you; so sorry that I caused you pain." A single tear streamed down his face, which Bella instinctively reached out and wiped away. "I made a promise to you that I intend to keep. Trust me when I say, there is _no one _but you."

Before Bella had time to respond, Edward's lips were once again claiming her's. She gave herself to the kiss.

What felt like an eternity later, a throat clearing broke Edward and Bella of their reverie.

Edward stood, bringing Bella with him; his arms never leaving her. She tucked her head into his neck in embarrassment.

"Bella, Edward," Carlisle said.

Edward turned his body to face Carlisle, and Bella turned with him, raising her eyes to find all the Cullens staring at them. All their eyes were glistening with unshed tears, but these were happy tears. Tears because for the first time in two years their family was whole again.

Esme walked towards them, one arm wrapping around Bella, the other around Edward. She leaned in so her forehead was touching theirs'.

"Bella," she whispered lowly, so only Bella and Edward could hear, "you've brought my son back to me and I'll never be able to thank you enough." She placed a small kiss on Bella's cheek before giving them both a quick squeeze and stepping back to join Carlisle.

"Son, are you ready to go home?" Carlisle asked. Seven sets of ears awaited Edward's response.

"Home."

* * *

**End Notes: **Once again, sorry for the delay in getting this chapter. I've gotten some feedback regarding whether or not I'll be able to tie up all the loose ends in only five chapters. The answer is no, but I can promise you the story will not end with a cliffhanger or anything of that nature. A lot of the problems that the characters face in the story would take months, or even years, to solve in real-life. With this being a mini-story contest, it's simply not possible to solve every last problem. But, I can assure you that the story will have it's happily ever after, though maybe not in the traditional sense. Also, keep in mind that when the contest is over, I will be posting out-takes from the story. These will include scenes that were shortened considerably for this story, scenes that happened before this story takes place, and scenes that look into the characters' futures. Thanks for reading (and hopefully reviewing!).

~Brit


	5. The Planets Align

**Lyrical Melodrama Story Contest**

**Name of story: **Bottled Stars and Black Holes**  
**

**Pen name: **BritM

**Song story is inspired by: **"27"**  
**

**Artist: **Fall Out Boy**  
**

**Category: **Newbie

**Main Pairing: **Edward & Bella

**POV: **3rd person

This story is an entry for the Lyrical Melodrama Story contest. To read the rest of the entries or see the submission rules go to **www(dot)thewriterscoffeeshop(dot)com** Any questions concerning the contest can be directed to c**ompetitions(at)thewriterscoffeeshop(dot)com** or through the website.

**DISCLAIMER:** Anything you recognize belongs to its respective owner(s). Anything original is mine :)

**A/N:** This story is rated M for language, sexual references and drug usage. If any of this offends you, you've been forewarned.

A **HUGE **thanks to my AMAZING beta **Megsly**. Despite being very busy she took the time to read and beta this so I could it to you all before voting starts tomorrow. Also, a big thanks to the people over at **The Writer's Coffee Shop **for allowing me to post this late. Don't forget to read all the wonderful stories in this contest - voting starts tomorrow!!!

* * *

**Chapter 5 - The Planets Align**

"Home." Bella heard Edward mutter underneath his breath as she brought the car to a stop in front of the Cullen's house.

Upon getting back into Forks, Edward had insisted on staying with Bella when Carlisle and Esme had dropped her off at home to pick up her car. To say Charlie had been surprised to see Edward was the understatement of the century. Bella was shocked at Charlie's response. He'd wrapped his arms around Edward while saying how good it was to see him home and well.

Bella had showered and changed quickly, feeling relatively comfortable leaving Edward in Charlie's care for a few minutes. When she was done getting ready, her and Edward headed out to the driveway where a covered car sat. Bella had pulled the protective cover off, revealing a sleek silver Volvo. She'd explained that one year after he left, her truck had died and she'd replaced it with the exact make and model of Edward's car. Edward was secretly impressed with her devotion to keeping the car clean. It was immaculate.

She looked over at him and smiled. Noticing his rigid posture, she took his hand in hers, bringing it to her lips and placing small kisses across his knuckles.

"Are you ready, or do you need a few minutes?" she asked quietly.

Edward's eyes fluttered shut briefly before opening again.

"I'm ready, I think. You'll stay? You're not going to go home or anything like that are you?"

Bella shook her head, "No. I'll be here if you want me to be."

He smiled at her, leaning across the center console to place a gentle kiss on her lips.

"I'll always want you with me."

They both exited the car, walking up to the front door hand-in-hand.

A whoosh of air left Edward's lungs as he prepared himself. He wasn't nervous about seeing all the Cullens, as he had seen them back at the hotel in Seattle. What he was nervous about was walking into the house where he had spent majority of his life; a place where many important events in his life had occurred - events he couldn't even remember. Carlisle had said that being exposed to people and things from his past could serve to jog his memory, but what if his memory couldn't be jogged? But then he remembered Bella and how simply seeing her in person had brought a slew of memories to the front of his mind in less than two days. He had to have some sort of hope.

He squeezed Bella's hand as he lifted his hand to knock on the door. Bella immediately brought her other hand up and pushed his down.

"Edward, this is your house - you don't need to knock."

She must have sensed the hesitation on his face because she reached out and opened the door herself, swinging it open. She then turned and brought both her good hand up to his face.

"I'm right here Edward. If it gets to much, just squeeze my hand and we'll leave for a little bit, okay?"

She knew this was going to be hard for him, and honestly she had wondered if exposing him to everything at once like this wouldn't be an overload. Carlisle _had_ said that exposing an amnesiac to too much stimuli could have negative effects. However, Edward had insisted that he was ready to come back to Forks with them.

"Edward! Bella!" Alice's voice flitted across the foyer. "It's about time; we were starting to wonder if you hadn't run away together!"

Edward winced at Alice's words, which Alice immediately noticed.

Approaching Edward, she threw her arms around him.

"I'm so sorry. I didn't think about what I was saying," she whispered to him.

He returned her hug. While her words stung, he couldn't be mad at her - he knew she hadn't meant anything by it.

"It's alright Alice."

Alice pulled back from the embrace, "So, what do want to see first?"

"Alice!" Carlisle's voice came from one of the nearby rooms.

"Oops," Alice lowered her voice before continuing, "I'm under strict orders to 'tone my excitement down'." She skipped off towards the room where Carlisle's voice had come from.

Bella and Edward followed after her. Entering the living room, Edward's eyes were immediately drawn to a black grand piano sitting on a raised platform in the corner. He looked questioningly at Bella.

"It was yours," Bella whispered, as she led him towards the piano. She knew that Carlisle and Esme hadn't touched it since Edward's departure two years ago. Esme wouldn't even dust it. It was a living shrine to Edward. The sheet music was still scattered across the lid of it, just like Edward had left it. The last piece he played on it still on the stand. _Bella's Lullaby_, it read.

Edward also noticed the name of the sheet music on the piano. He didn't have to read the notes to know how the melody would go - it was a melody that was ingrained on his soul. Sitting down on the piano bench, he pulled Bella down beside him. His fingers reached out, hesitant to disturb the dust settled on the ivories, before finally coming to a rest on the keys. The song poured out of his soul and through his fingers.

As he played, the emotions that typically accompanied this song made all the more sense to him now with _her_ at his side. He could feel the awkwardness of a first meeting; the nervousness of a first kiss; the joy of finding true love; and finally the wonderful promise of _forever_.

As he played, Bella sat at his side, trying her hardest not to let the tears fall. She felt like it was graduation day and the past two years had been nothing but a bad dream.

As the last note resonated through the silent living room, Bella leaned over and rested her head on Edward's shoulder.

"Thank you," she whispered before placing a kiss on his neck.

They sat in companionable silence for a few minutes before a throat cleared behind them. Bella quickly moved to wipe away her lingering tears, but Edward beat her to it. Cupping her face gently in his hands, the pads of his thumbs swept away the rivulets of tears on her face. He leaned in and placed a chaste kiss on each eyelid.

"No more tears my Bella," he whispered low enough for only her to her.

Standing up from the bench, they turned to face Carlisle who was leaning against the archway that led from the foyer.

"It's wonderful to hear you play again," Carlisle acknowledged before motioning for Bella and Edward to follow him.

He led them upstairs and opened the door to his office before turning back to them.

"Bella, why don't you show Edward his old room; I'm sure the both of you are exhausted, it's been a long day."

Bella nodded, pulling Edward in the direction of the staircase.

"Oh, and Bella? I've already called Charlie and told him not to expect you home tonight."

Bella's face flushed red at Carlisle's words. Both he and Edward chuckled at her embarrassment.

"In the morning we have some things we need to talk about, so try and get some sleep," Carlisle concluded, shutting his office door behind him.

Bella led Edward upstairs to the third floor where she came to a stop outside of a shut door.

"This," she said, placing a reverent hand on the door, "was... is... your room. Much like the piano it hasn't really changed much in the past two years. It felt wrong to even go in without you..." Bella's voice trailed off as Edward's arm wrapped around her waist and his other hand came to rest on top of hers on the door knob.

Turning the knob together, they pushed open the door. Bella reached inside and flicked on the light.

Edward was astounded at the sight before him. The whole back wall was glass and somehow Edward knew that were in the day time he would have a fabulous view of the woods. Another wall was filled with floor to ceiling shelves that housed a collection of CD's and records to put any music store to shame.

He approached the wall tentatively, letting his fingers slide over the music cases.

"These are all mine?" he asked in disbelief.

"Mmm-hmm," Bella affirmed. Her voice sounded slightly muffled.

Edward turned to find her splayed across the gigantic bed in the room's center. She was laying on her stomach, her face buried in the mountains of pillows at the top of the bed.

"Bella," Edward said quietly as he approached the bed. Sitting on the edge nearest her he placed his hand on her back, rubbing slow circles into the exposed skin. He wasn't sure if he was overstepping any boundaries so he kept his ministrations to her lower back. "Are you tired?"

She nodded her head. Edward stood and walked towards the door of the room.

Bella heard him retreating from her side and shot up, only to find him flicking off the light and walking out the door.

"_Edward!_"

He turned back to face her but left the light off.

"Where are you going?" Bella asked quietly.

"Um, I was going to let you sleep; I was going to find a guest room."

Bella shot him a quizzical look. "This is _your _room Edward. I'll go find another room. She got up off the bed and, keeping her eyes to the floor, made her way towards the door.

Her body collided with Edward's halfway across the room. His arms immediately incircled her to keep her from falling. As her eyes lifted to his, she was taken back at the passion she saw radiating from the emerald depths of his eyes.

"Stay with me tonight Bella, please."

It wasn't until a look of what Edward interpreted as shock crossed Bella's face that he realized he said what he was thinking out loud.

He knew it was too soon. He had no reason to believe that she would just take him back after his two year absence. He had left her and caused her insurmountable pain. He wouldn't blame her if she wanted nothing to do with him.

"Okay," Bella whispered softly. She herself wasn't sure this was the best of ideas, but couldn't bear the thought of spending another night alone. The two years that he was gone, her sleep was plagued with nightmares. Last night, spend in his arms, had been the best nights sleep she'd gotten since he left.

While she relished the comfort being in his arms brought her, she was concerned for him. He had just started to remember her and his family again. Was she moving too fast for him?

"Okay?" Edward asked, just be sure.

Bella nodded her consent and they walked hand-in-hand to the bed. Each stood at one side and there was an awkward moment of 'what do we do next'.

"I'd offer you something to wear to bed, but I don't know where anything is," Edward said, hoping to lighten the mode slightly. It worked, as Bella giggled while walking towards a dresser.

She pulled out a pair of boxers and t-shirt for herself and then turned to Edward to see what he'd want. She was shocked to see him already in his boxers and pulling his shirt over his head.

She let her eyes roam down over his body. He wasn't as toned as he used to be. The Edward of the past was very self-conscious of his looks, always making sure he was in prime condition. This Edward had filled out slightly, but was still a picture of perfection. His stomach was still flat as board, but was no longer defined by the cut abs he'd had in high school.

As Bella's eyes traveled further south, she took in the slight v and trail of bronzed hair that led...

"Like what you see?"

Edward's words snapped Bella out of her ogling and she felt her body burning in embarrassment, but also in desire. After two years of not seeing him, his body still had control over hers.

She quickly averted her gaze to the carpet at her feet.

"I... uh... I'm gonna... change..." Bella darted towards the bathroom that was attached to Edward's room, all but slamming the door behind her. She leaned back on the shut door and slid down until she was sitting on the cold tile floor. She took in a few shaky breaths before standing and changing out of her clothes. Her fingers fumbled with the clasp of her bra as she contemplated whether she should take it off or not. She always took it off before bed, but wasn't sure if it would be appropriate.

She was jostled out of her musings by a soft knock on the door, her arms immediately moving to cover herself, though she knew he wouldn't just barge in.

"Bella, are you alright?" Edward's voice carried through the door.

"Yeah, I'll be out in just a minute."

She heard his footsteps retreating away from the door and exhaled the breath she'd been holding. She could never remember being this nervous before. Even the first time that her and Edward slept together she had held it together more than this. Then again, that Edward had lavished her with praises and he had worshiped her as he took off each article of her clothing. She knew she had let herself go since he left and had no idea if this Edward would find her remotely as attractive as he'd used to.

After a few more minutes of thinking things over she eventually muttered "fuck it" to herself and took the bra off, laying it on top of the rest of her clothes on the bathroom sink. She slid the t-shirt over her head and was thankful that she'd picked out a black shirt. Hopefully her bra-less-ness would go unnoticed by Edward.

She opened the bathroom door and turned off the light. She crossed the room slowly.

As she approached the bed, she noticed that Edward was not in it, but standing beside it.

"I wasn't sure what side you slept on," he explained, his voice betraying his nervousness.

"It doesn't matter to me. You used to sleep on the right side," she said, nodding towards the bed.

"Still do," he muttered.

Once again, an awkward silence overtook the room. Edward peeked up at Bella through his eyelashes and realized she was still standing in the same spot, her arms crossed across her chest. He knew she was nervous, and, wanting to reassure her, crossed over to her. He reached out and ran his hands up her arms, pulling them away from her chest as he did so.

When her hands were by her side, his left hand reached out and he placed it against the small of her back, pulling her gently towards him. As soon as her body came into contact with his, he let out a small gasp. He could feel every inch of her pressed up against him. He felt his face flush at the realization that she wasn't wearing a bra. He was very thankful at that moment for the darkness in the room.

While he hadn't directly asked her, he was almost certain that he and Bella had been intimate before the accident. While waiting for her to come out of the bathroom, a memory floated across his mind of him and her in his bed. The prospect of being with her again like that frightened him. Aside from the recent memory of him and Bella, he had no knowledge of being intimate with a woman. He had always brushed off the many women his band-mates pushed him towards. He had no idea what was or wasn't appropriate. He had to let Bella lead this, whatever _this _was.

"Bella," he chocked out, pulling her closer to him and resting his face on her shoulder. "I have no idea how to do... this. I don't know what it was like before or what your expectations are."

Bella cut him off by turning her head to his and kissing him softly.

Bella didn't quite know what to make of his words. Aside from the Jane incident, she hadn't had reason to consider whether or not he had been with anyone else. Wanting to make sure she had the facts straight before saying anything else, she quietly asked, "So there hasn't been anyone else?"

Edward shook his head into her neck, whispering into her ear, "No, no one but you."

Bella's heart jumped at this revelation. At the same time, she felt a surge of despair. His earlier words led her to believe that he didn't even remember being with her like that.

She pulled herself slightly back from him, bringing him face-to-face with her.

"Do you remember..." her voice trailed off, not being able to bring herself to finish the sentence.

Edward didn't know how to answer her question without sounding completely corny. Realizing that stalling was only making things work, he brought her hand to his chest, placing it across his heart.

"My mind only remembers laying with you in that bed." Her face fell at his words and he quickly leaned down, nudging her cheek with his, bringing his lips mere centimeters from her ear. "But in my heart I know that you were my lover."

He spoke the last word with such reverence that it brought tears to Bella's eyes again. She could feel his heart beating rapidly underneath her palm.

"Your body against mine, like this," he said, pulling her chest flush with his once again, "is the most familiar feeling in the world to me."

Edward meant every word he said. As soon as her body had molded to his, he knew that there was nothing more right than him and Bella together. Her body, her soul, her very essence sung to him. She was his own personal sun and he a lowly planet forever caught in her orbit.

For what seemed like ages, Bella and Edward stood in the middle of the room, wrapped around one another, basking in the glory of once again being with their other half. They eventually climbed into the bed, their bodies immediately aligning themselves with each other. It was in this state, legs intertwined, arms draped over each other torsos, foreheads touching together, that they both feel into a deep sleep, filled with dreams of their future.

**~*~**

Edward woke up as the first rays of sunlight began filtering through the trees. He was momentarily confused as to where he was, but the feeling soon subsided as he felt the light puffs of air the woman beside him was exhaling onto his chest.

Edward reached out and brushed his fingers over Bella's creamy white cheek, pushing back a few stray hairs in the process. Last night, despite its initial awkwardness, was a memory Edward never wanted to forget. While he'd shared his bed with Bella in Seattle the day before, it was nothing like last night.

Last night there had been no questions left to ask. They had fallen asleep in each other arms with a promise lingering in the air. A promise of them, together, no matter the obstacles. He instinctively knew Bella would give him the time he needed to come to terms with everything and wouldn't push him one way or another. For this he was eternally grateful.

He laid there, basking in the glory of having Bella at his side, until he heard a gentle knocking from the door. Looking at the clock he saw it was almost 10:00 am.

Disentangling himself from Bella, he stood, stretching his arms out above him. He went to the dresser he'd seen Bella go to last night and picked out a t-shirt. He quietly opened the door, finding Esme on the other side.

"Good morning. I hope I didn't wake you... or Bella."

Edward blushed slightly, shaking his head.

"No, I've been awake for a while. Bella's still asleep."

Esme smiled, her head leaning to one side in contemplation. Before Edward knew what was happening, she had him wrapped in her arms.

"It's so good to have you home," she said, releasing him. "Carlisle wants to see you in his office, if that's okay."

Edward nodded, turning to make sure Bella was still asleep. She had taken his pillow and now had her small body wrapped around it. He couldn't help but smile at the sight. Clicking the door shut softly, he followed Esme down the stairs.

"As soon as your done with Carlisle, I'll have breakfast waiting. Bacon and eggs still your favorite?"

Edward smiled, nodding enthusiastically.

"Scrambled, not sunny side up," they both said, laughter erupting from them.

The door to Carlisle's study opened and he took in the sight before him. His son was finally home, where he belonged.

Edward followed Carlisle into the study, shutting the door behind him.

"Please, sit," Carlisle said, pulling a chair out from the desk.

Carlisle pulled out the other chair, choosing to sit next to Edward instead of behind his desk. He had some pretty serious things to discuss with Edward and didn't want him to feel attacked.

"First of all, I want you to know that we, your family, have no expectations of you. We know you have a life completely separate from us and don't expect things to just go back to the way they were before. Any decision you make we will respect.

That being said, I do hope that you will us all a chance to get to know each other again. I know that you probably have countless questions and I'm willing to answer anything to the best of my ability. I also know that you have contractual obligations, but I hope that you'll stay in touch with us."

Edward was confused. This was his family, what would make Carlisle or any of the Cullens for that matter, think that he would not want to stay with them.

"Carlisle, I've felt more at home with you all in the past day than I ever felt with Aro and his family in the past two years. There's no way that I can go back to them knowing what I do now.

They lied to me. They fabricated an entire life for me and kept me away from you all - my real family. I don't know _why_ they did it, and I don't know _how_ they did it, but the fact remains that my life with them was a lie. My life with you all... I know in my heart who my real family is."

Carlisle was deeply touched at Edward's words, but wanted to make sure Edward understood everything before he committed himself to this family. He didn't think any of them would survive if he were to leave again.

"I'm so glad to hear you say that Edward, don't doubt that. But I want to make sure you fully understand what you're leaving behind. When you left, you left because your mother and I had confronted you about college. You had told us you had applied to all these schools and then no acceptance letters ever came.

We contacted several schools, thinking there was a misunderstanding. When we confronted you, the night you left, you told us that you wanted a career in music and that college wasn't for you. What you have, with your band, is something you used to dream of. Are you sure you want to leave that behind?"

Edward let this new information sink in. Music was still all he thought about, but the past year in the recording studio and preparing for this tour had let Edward see a side of the music industry he never wanted to see again.

"Carlisle, I understand you concern, and, once again, I'm so sorry for the pain I inflicted on you and this family. Music is my life, it will always be, but I can't go back to them. I was honestly miserable with them, my hardest efforts were never enough for them. When I would compose something they liked, they'd tweak it to the point where I didn't even recognize my own compositions.

I'd toyed with the idea of going to college and getting a degree in music, but then Aro had told me that since the band had a contract, I couldn't."

Carlisle pondered this for a moment before speaking again. "Edward, I spoke to my attorney last night. I told him about and how he'd been forging documents for Aro in order to maintain your false identity. My lawyer contacted Mr. Jenks' attorney early this morning and we've been assured that he will testify in court that he's been forging documents for the Volturi brothers for years. I think he realized that this was his only way out of facing much more serious charges himself. That's the easiest thing we're going to have to deal with.

Then there's the matter of you contract with the Volturi. My lawyer has also been in contact with their attorney's. They are saying that unless you fulfill your contractual obligations to them, they'll be suing you for breach of contract. Now this is very important Edward, did you ever sign a contract with them?"

Edward thought back. Though he could remember many instances where a contract had been mentioned he could honestly not recall ever having signed one.

"I don't remember signing anything Carlisle, honestly. There were always mentions of a contract, so maybe the rest of the band signed something, but I don't think I ever did."

Silence overtook the room while both men thought this over. Edward wasn't dumb, he knew if he had signed a contract that there wouldn't be much he could do to get out of it without having to fork over a shit-ton of money. But had he signed a contract?

"Well," Carlisle finally said, "I'll talk to my lawyer about it. We'll probably have to go meet with him later in the week; that is if you don't plan on returning to the band."

Edward shook his head, "I don't. I want to stay here, with you all... with Bella," he had whispered the last part so quietly that Carlisle had barely managed to make out what he said.

"You know, she's a very special woman. When the rest of us had given up hope, she always held out, waiting for you. I look at her like a daughter and it would kill me to see her hurt, and, I know it's not any of business, but what kind of relationship are you looking to have with her... now?"

Edward knew that someone would ask this question sooner or later, he had thought it would be Bella though, not Carlisle. He didn't even have to think for a moment to know what he would say.

"I want everything with her. It may seem sudden, but I swear, she's the only thing other than my music that was with me when I woke up after the accident. She was the first face I saw in my mind and I always knew that she was the one for me. Though I didn't know up until two days ago she was even real.

I don't know how to explain it beyond that, but I just know, with my entire being, that she's it. I want to tell her this, but I don't want to freak her out or anything. I have no idea if she even still wants me. I'm not the same Edward as I was before. Heck, I can't even remember making love..."

Edward stopped himself when he realized what was coming out of his mouth. He felt the flames rise to his face in embarrassment as he buried his face in his hands.

Carlisle chuckled through his own embarrassment. He and Esme knew that their children had been sexually active since their teens, and had made sure they knew to be safe, but it was the first time any of them had actually said anything to their parents about it.

"Well, um... I'm sure that if you just talk to Bella you'll work something out. And you'll have plenty of time to... uh, make new memories, so to speak."

A small giggle from the doorway alerted both the men to Bella's presence.

"Esme asked me to tell you that breakfast is ready," she said, her cheeks slightly blushed from what she had overheard Edward and Carlisle talking about. She hadn't mean to eavesdrop, but the door was slightly open and she couldn't help herself.

She turned to leave the office when a warm hand on her elbow stopped her. She didn't have to turn around to know who it was, she could feel his presence.

"May I speak to you for moment?"

His velvety smooth voice set her every nerve ending on fire. She couldn't find her voice to speak, so settled for nodding her head. It always had amused the old Edward that simple touch, no matter how chaste, had the ability to render Bella speechless. This didn't go unnoticed by the new Edward either. He filed away that piece of information in his ever-growing "Bella" section of his mind, along with the way her hips gently swayed as she ascended the stairs before him.

Returning to his room, Edward noticed how the bed had been made and a change of clothing was laid out for him.

Bella's hands were fidgeting as she spoke, "I didn't think you'd want to wear the same clothes as you did yesterday. I don't know if you're the same size as you used to be either."

Her nervousness and something as simple as laying out his clothes for him endeared her even more to him.

"Thank you," he said simply. Choosing to show his gratitude to her in another, more pleasurable way.

Just as he had last night, he pulled her body to his until they were flush with each other. He could feel her heart pounding against his chest. Her eyes met his in unadulterated desire. Both of them leaned in at the same time, their lips meeting in the middle in a gentle, yet sensual kiss. A kiss that soon turned anything but gentle.

Acting on instinct alone, Edward cupped Bella's bottom in his hands, lifting her up. Her legs immediately wrapped around his waist. Staying connected, he walked them backwards until his knees hit the bed. Breaking his lips hold on Bella, he laid her back gently on the bed. Taking a moment to fully appreciate the sight before him.

Bella's heart was pounding in her chest as Edward's eyes raked over her body shamelessly as she laid on the bed. The part of her mind that had been warning her they were going to fast had all but disappeared. Edward's words from earlier rang in her mind _I know with my entire being that she's it_. Edward had told her much the same thing the day before in Seattle, but it wasn't until this morning, hearing him reaffirm it to someone other than her, that his words rang true.

He wasn't planning on leaving her or his family. He wanted to be with her.

Edward leaned over Bella's body, his lips once again coming to rest by her ear. The small breaths that he was expelling turned Bella on more than any touch ever had.

"I promised you that I would relearn everything about you, _every mark on your body._"

His words lit a fire in her like never before. She couldn't help the moan that escaped her lips and was far too turned on to even care.

His lips ghosted over the slender column of her neck, coming to rest on the hallow of her throat where he planted a single kiss before bringing his face to hers.

"I intend to do just that all day today. If you'll let me."

Once again, Bella was rendered mute. He was insane if he thought she'd say no. Since her ability to speak had left her, Bella chose to give him her answer another way. Reaching her hands between their two bodies, she lifted the hem of her t-shirt and pulled it up and off her body. She then grabbed the hem of his shirt, repeating the action.

Edward's eyes shut quickly before reopening and looking down, between them. His hands ghosted up her sides, across her ribs, stopping right below her breasts. He looked up at her in a silent question. Bella nodded her consent.

And that was how the two of them spent that entire day - in bed with one another, relearning each others bodies through tender touches and caresses.

**~* One Year Later *~  
**

"I'm so glad that's over," Bella exclaimed, as her and Edward made their way through the forest.

"Me too, it's great to not have to worry about that anymore. I've got much more important things to focus on anyway."

The past year had been a whirlwind for Edward, Bella and the Cullen family.

True to his word, Aro did sue Edward for breach of contract. The final court date had been that morning. Ultimately, the judge dismissed Aro's claim as Edward had never actually signed anything. While his band mates had signed contracts as "The Guard", no where in any of the documents was Edward's name.

Since both the Volturis' lawsuit against Edward and the Cullens' case against Aro for false impersonation were being treated as one, the ruling on the Cullens' case had also been given that morning. The judge ordered Aro to pay up a hefty sum of money for trauma caused to not only Edward, but the Cullen family as well. It had been decided that the money would be put into an account for Edward.

If it hadn't been for a last minute testimony from Demetri, who had a change of heart, the Cullens may never have gotten justice against Aro. Demetri took the stand the past week, revealing that Aro had known all along exactly who Edward was. In fact, Edward had been on his way home from a meeting with the Volturi when he had his accident.

Demetri further revealed that after Edward told Aro he couldn't accept his offer and had told him he was going to return home and attend college, Aro had followed Edward. It wasn't clear or not whether Aro had caused Edward's accident, but Demetri said that he had no doubt Aro had taken Edward from the accident scene and had him flown to Los Angeles where he then admitted him to the hospital under a false name.

Demetri's testimony had sealed Aro's fate. The judge had ordered him to not only pay the money to the Cullens but he was also due back in for sentencing for his part in Edward's accident.

As Edward and Bella entered the meadow, he couldn't help but remember the first time she'd brought him here, a few days after they returned to Forks last year.

As soon as they'd walked into the meadow, a particularly strong memory had assaulted Edward. He fell to his knees as the memory of him and Bella making love for the first time, in that meadow, ran through his mind.

Bella had been worried about him, dropping to her knees in front of him. She barely had time to acknowledge what was going on, because as soon as the memory had finished, Edward had lunged at her, his hands were everywhere. He had murmured into her ear that he remembered and there was no doubt in Bella's mind that this was the perfect moment for them to consummate their new relationship.

They had come very close that first full day back in Forks, but both had decided that the timing wasn't quite right yet. But that moment in the meadow, Edward having just remembered their first time was, in both their minds, the perfect moment to once again come together that way.

Edward was snapped out of his memory by Bella calling to him. He looked towards the center of the meadow where she'd laid out a picnic blanket and was in the process of laying out their food. He felt bad that she'd set everything up already. Today was supposed to be about her - about making one more memory in this meadow.

After they had finished the cheese and crackers they had packed, Edward pulled out the desert, strawberries and white chocolate. It was cliche, he knew this, but it seemed perfect for what he had planned.

Dipping the first strawberry into the chocolate that Esme had placed into a thermos for them, Edward brought it to Bella's lips. She then repeated the action for him. They fed each other until the last strawberry was brought to Bella's mouth. She kept her eyes closed for a few moments after finishing it. When she opened her eyes, Edward's face was right in front of hers, he had a mysterious look on his face.

She felt him take her hand into his and felt something slide on to her ring finger. Looking down, she saw a new ring nestled up against her old one.

Her eyes looked up at him, widening at her realization of what was happening.

He didn't get down on one knee, but instead remained sitting in front of her, her left hand clasped in his.

"Bella, I promised you that one day I'd ask you to marry me, and that's exactly what I'm doing. I want to be with you _forever_. I made the mistake of leaving you once and by some miracle, we found our way back to each other. I will _never_ leave you again. Bella, would you please, please marry me?"

Bella felt tears forming in the corners of her eyes, as she nodded her head.

"I do believe I made you a promise as well. I promised to say yes. So, yes, a thousand times over, _yes!_"

The tears flowed down Bella's face as she propelled herself towards Edward. She peppered his face with kisses as he laughed, laying back in the grass and pulling her down on top of him.

"I will make you the happiest woman on earth Bella," he promised her.

"I already am," she whispered back.

* * *

**End Notes: **Wow, my first completed story. I can't believe it's over. I tried my best to tie up any loose ends, but as I've said before, I will be posting outtakes as soon as the contest is over. I'll post a note up on this story when the first outtake is posted. Thank you SO MUCH to all of you who have read this and an even BIGGER THANKS to those of you who've taken the time to review :) Well, that's it until the outtakes. Hope you enjoy!


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